The general objective of this thesis was to examine aspects of adolescents perceived interpersonal relations, in view of the association between adolescents’ interpersonal problems and self-concepts, and considering influential factors such as behavioural problems, depression, perceptions of parental rearing styles, type of relationships and sex. All of the studies examined participants from the four-year longitudinal research project in Umeå, which was designed to investigate the psychic health and social context of adolescents with psychological and antisocial problems (Armelius & Hägglöf, 1998), except for the normal adolescents in study I, who took part in a project with purpose to determine norms for an intake interview that is used for adolescents in different settings in Sweden. Study I addressed the impact of type of relationship on adolescents interpersonal behaviour, and the results were discussed in terms of interpersonal theory and the complementarity principle. Study II investigated the association between self-concept and interpersonal problems in normal adolescents. Different interpersonal problems were systematically related to three self-concept patterns, and showed the importance of considering the combination of self-love and self-autonomy to understand interpersonal problems in adolescents. In study III the associations between self-concept, and interpersonal problems were investigated, also considering depression as a factor, in a group of adolescents with conduct problems. This study revealed sex differences: boys’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with self-control, an imbalance between self control and autonomy, and depression, whereas girls’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with low self-love and depression. Study IV examined the relationship between memories of perceived parenting styles and interpersonal problems. Also in this study, sex differences were shown. It was found that for boys the perceived parenting styles of the fathers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems, and for girls the perceived parenting styles of the mothers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems.

This essay describes how theatre can be a tool in social work. The essay evaluates the Swed-ish KRAFT-project, a course for unemployed people with the goal to make them grow as in-dividuals by using drama exercises and performing a theatre play in front of an audience. The essay is a quantitative secondary study of the questionnaire used in the KRAFT-project. Through analysing the questionnaire the participants answered this essay tries to explain the results from a social psychological perspective. The essay also discusses how the participants’ self-concept and self-esteem could have been affected by the KRAFT-project. The discussion generates several new hypothesis concerning this issue. The results of this study can not be generalised to other projects using theatre or drama as a tool for personal development but it describes an example of how it can be used as a method in social work.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of gender, age, duration of relationship, self concept clarity and personal agency in predicting romantic relationship satisfaction of emerging adults. Participants were consisted of 344 (70.3% female, 29.7% male) volunteered undergraduate students from one of the state universities in Central Anatolia. Age of the participants ranged from 18 to 25 with the mean of 20. 85 (SD = 1.65). The data was gathered using four instruments namely, Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), Self Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), Multi-Measure Agentic Personality Scale- Short Form (MAPSSF), and personal information form. In order to analyze the data, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Results revealed that gender, age and duration of relationship were not significant predictors of romantic relationship satisfaction / whereas self concept clarity and purpose in life dimension of personal agency were significant predictors which explained the 12% of the total variance in romantic relationship satisfaction scores of emerging adults. Results of the study are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Finally implications of the study and recommendations for further research are presented.

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Social competence and positive self-concept are essential to future adaptive outcomes and overall well-being; but children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) frequently struggle in these domains. This dissertation examined changes in the social competence and self-concept of campers with learning disabilities (LD), within a specialized summer camp, with particular focus on friendship development. The dissertation is presented in two manuscripts, which will be submitted for publication. The objective of the first manuscript was to examine changes in campers’ social skills, social acceptance, self-worth, and self-esteem, within the context of summer camp, as reported by parents and campers. Parental reports indicated small gains in social skills, social acceptance, and self-worth from the beginning to the end of camp; with gains in social acceptance and self-worth maintained four to five months later. Campers did not report changes in any domains. Parents and campers reported declines in camper self-esteem at follow-up. In general, campers with LD+ADHD exhibited smaller gains in social competence and self-concept, than those with LD. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks and existing camp and LD research. The objective of the second manuscript was to investigate campers’ friendship development, within the summer camp context. Many campers reported having high-quality, reciprocal friendships at the beginning of camp. Campers reported more reciprocal friendships after camp, but these were not maintained at follow-up. Campers also reported having a best camp friend by the end of camp, and this relationship was maintained at follow-up. In terms of friendship quality, campers reported increased closeness by the end of camp and conflict ratings were low, overall. This study examined factors predicting changes in social competence. High-quality, reciprocal friendships predicted changes in campers’ social acceptance, according to parents. Similarly, reciprocal friendships predicted changes in camper reported social acceptance. These results highlight the inter-connections between friendship and aspects of social competence. Camp attendance was found to be a relevant factor in friendship development and quality. The concluding chapter discusses social competence, friendship, and self-concept outcomes for campers with LD within the context of a specialized summer camp. The implications of the findings for present theory and clinical practice are discussed, including specific recommendations for this camp’s structure and program evaluation procedures.

Academic self-concept (ASC) refers to one's beliefs about himself or herself in academic situations. ASC has been found to be moderately correlated with academic performance when ASC and academic outcome measures are in the same domain and at the same level of specificity. It was hypothesized that differentiating between ASC under typical versus maximal environmental press may increase its predictive validity by providing further specificity to items and thus greater reliability to ASC scales. In this study, a battery of assessments was administered to Georgia Tech undergraduates in order to examine the factor structure of new measures of typical and maximal ASC, as well as their predictive and construct validities. A two-factor model fit the data better than a one-factor model, but did not meet criteria for good fit. Most hypotheses about the relationship between typical and maximal ASC and other constructs were not supported, though gender differences were found which may indicate an interesting line of future research.

After U.S. welfare was reformed in 1996, many states eliminated their educational programs and replaced them with "work-first" options. This study uses in-depth interviews and content analysis of current and proposed welfare legislation to examine how these policy changes have shaped the experiences of postsecondary students participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and to determine whether or not proposed policy changes in TANF reauthorization legislation meet the needs of students. To fulfill the first objective of this study, I conducted interviews with 20 TANF participants who were using enrollment in a postsecondary institution as a means of satisfying their TANF work requirements and 10 TANF case managers who were familiar with the program's policies and procedures. The interviews were conducted in Georgia, one of 13 states that until 2003 explicitly allowed participants to use postsecondary education as a means of meeting work activity requirements. To fulfill the second objective of this study, I analyzed the content of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) and current legislative proposals reauthorizing the act. I find that a variety of internal and external forces -- including one's beliefs regarding education and parenting, one's familial obligations and support systems, and one's receipt of academic and financial aid -- collectively shape students' experiences and likelihood of educational success in various ways. I also determine that the TANF program itself, in particular the emphasis on increasing participation rates and restrictive definitions of acceptable work activities, prevent students from succeeding. These findings are relevant for researchers and policymakers intent on more fully understanding the effects of contemporary U.S. welfare reform and reveal the limitations of current welfare reauthorization acts that seek to further limit educational opportunities of economically-poor women.

Syftet med studien är att få ökad kunskap om och förståelse för unga kortutbildade intagnas inställning tillutbildning och motivation att studera i fängelse. Arbetet innehåller såväl kvantitativa som kvalitativa inslag.De kvantitativa delarna syftar till att beskriva urvalsgruppen med hjälp av metoden enkät och de kvalitativa tillatt få fördjupad förståelse för hur unga intagna resonerar om studier och utbildning genom semistruktureradeintervjuer. De kvantitativa resultaten redovisas deskriptivt med hjälp av grafer och kommenteras i relation tilltidigare forskning. Gruppen unga studerar i betydligt högre grad 2012 på den undersökta anstalten än nationellstatistik från 2006. De kvalitativa delarna analyseras och tolkas utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Först beskrivsinformanterna översiktligt utifrån tidsperspektiven då – nu – framtid. Därefter konstrueras fyra karaktärerutifrån hur de talar om utbildnings betydelse och studiemotivation: Den aktive och insiktsfulle, Dentveksamme sökaren, Den orolige och osäkre och Den avvisande. Så söktes teoretiska infallsvinklar på hurinformanterna talade om motivation, vilket utmynnade i en fyrfältare som illustrerar hur yttre och inremotivation och motstånd samspelar samt hur föränderliga och sköra de kan vara hos den som inte är van attstudera. För den som valt en kriminell identitet tidigt i livet framstår inte utbildning som självklart positivt ellereftersträvansvärt. Många upplever ett utanförskap och för att bli en del av majoritetssamhället krävs en vilja tillsocial transformation. Ambivalens är ett viktigt tillstånd för att utforska olika alternativa vägval. Relationenlärare – studerande kan ha avgörande betydelse för om en ung intagen med kort utbildningsbakgrund skavilja, våga och kunna studera.

Chinese-American adolescents were compared with the major group in the United States (European-American adolescents) in negotiating self-concepts related with autonomy and connectedness. Senses of autonomy and connectedness were evaluated by examining adolescents' cultural value orientations (individualism and collectivism), parent-adolescent relationships (decision-making styles and power perception), and relations between the two constructs. Participants included 56 first- or second-generation Chinese-American adolescents (18.5% of first-generation and 81.5% of secondgeneration) and 45 European-American adolescents, accompanied with their mothers (47 Chinese-American mothers and 42 European-American mothers). In terms of cultural value orientations, Chinese- and European-Americans' selfconcepts were consistently oriented towards collectivism more than individualism in adolescents and mothers. With regard to parent-adolescent relationships, Chinese- American adolescents have identified with the dominant culture to show similar desires of being autonomous as European-American adolescents. However, Chinese-American mothers adopted more authoritarian, conservative, and inflexible parenting styles than European-American mothers. With regard to the relations between variables of cultural value orientations and variables of parent-adolescent relationships, the pattern of findings was consistent with the notion that Chinese-American adolescents who internalize highly collectivistic cultural values displayed more collectivistic communication styles in parent-adolescent relationships than European-American adolescents.

The aim of the present study was to examine the predictive values of sociodemographic variables, parental variables (parental stress, family functioning, parental adjustment, coping methods), and child variables (coping methods, self concept) for the adjustment of children with spastic cerebral palsy. Transactional stress and coping model was used as the conceptual framework for the study. The sample of the study was composed of 80 children with spastic cerebral palsy and one of their parents. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the child adjustment by using child gender, parent education, parental stress, family functioning, parental adjustment, parental coping methods, child coping methods, and child self concept as independent variables. Results revealed that parentalstress, parents&rsquo / problem solving/optimistic coping and fatalistic coping predicted the adjustment of children with spastic CP. However, parental adjustment, family functioning, child coping and child self concept were not significantly predicting of child adjustment. The findings, strengths, limitations as well as the implications of the findings were discussed.