No description available.

No description available.

Rates of depression have been observed to increase markedly during adolescence. In addition, depression rates for adolescent girls have been reported to be up to twice those of boys. A wide variety of factors have been proposed to account for these changes, including psychological factors derived from cognitive theories of depression. Such theories have often awarded an important contributory role to a negative self-concept. In the meantime, research in child and adolescent development has revealed that the self-concept undergoes profound changes during adolescence, and that these changes affect boys and girls differently. Thus the significant sex difference in rates of depression occurring in adolescence appear to develop against the backdrop of significant structural and evaluative developmental changes in the self-concept that appear to differentially affect adolescent girls and boys. The current research project was aimed at examining the roles of two aspects of the self-concept proposed to be involved in the development of depressive symptoms and clinically significant episodes of depression in adolescence, namely: self-complexity and contingency of self-worth. These constructs were selected based on their empirically demonstrated relationship with depression in youth or adults, as well as their relationship with changes occurring in the self-concept during early adolescence. In order to examine the roles of self-complexity and contingency of self-worth, a large community sample of early adolescents was recruited and followed for a period of two years. During this period, participants were contacted to monitor changes in depressive symptoms, the occurrence of negative life events, and the onset of clinically significant episodes of depression. Results reveal that self-complexity best predicted depressive outcomes when deconstructed into its positive and negative components. Moreover, negative self-complexity successfully predicted the prospective onset of clinically significant episodes of major depression. In regards to the contingency of self-worth, results supported a previous self-worth contingency model of depression, but suggest that this conceptualization cannot account entirely for the phenomenology of depression in adolescence. Two additional conceptualizations of contingent self-worth were proposed and supported. Sex differences were observed. Results were interpreted within a cognitive vulnerability framework.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of family structure (intact, stepparent, and single-parent) on children's self-concepts using Parish & Parish's Personal Attribute Inventory for Children (PAIC). A review of the literature indicated that there seemed to be a trend for children living in single-parent families and stepfamilies to have a lower self-concept when compared to children living in intact homes.Participants in the present study were one hundred ninety-nine (199) students in grades 7 through 12 attending Burris Laboratory School. All were given the PAIC and a demographic questionnaire during their usual class times. A 3 X 3 (family structure by grade level) and a 3 X 2 (family structure by sex) factorial design analysis of variance was computed utilizing the .05 level of confidence. Although a trend was noted for students from stepfamilies to check fewer positive adjectives on the PAIC, they did not differ significantly from the means of children from single-parent or intact families. Adjectives actually chosen by children in each of the three family structures were also identified in an attempt to determine the relationships between the adjectives checked and the family structure. sex, and grade level of the student.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The researcher began with a fundamental question: Are the personality traits of basketball players in a "normal environment"--the individual's self-concept outside of competitive athletics--different from the individual's self-concept when involved in competitive athletics?The method employed in this study was to use self-administering scales. These consisted of self-descriptive statements that the subject used to portray his own picture of himself. The Fitts Tennessee Self-Concept Scale was used to measure the self-concept of the individual in his "normal environment." A paraphrased scale developed by the author was used to measure the individual's self-concept as a basketball player. Fifty-five high school male basketball players from a large midwestern city completed the two scales.The following results were indicated: (1) the physical self is either more important or at least judged better in the "normal environment" than in athletic competition; (2) the family self in the "normal environment" was significantly more important than in athletic competition; and (3) the social self in athletic competition was significantly more important than in the "normal environment."

This experimenter had been long interested in attempting to find what correlation existed, if any, between self-concept and achievement. During his years as a teacher and counselor, he had continually been concerned with that student who had been classified as an underachiever, the one who seemed to have the ability to achieve, but for reasons personal to him was not able to utilize this ability constructively in the academic area of study. Therefor, the assignment of a thesis afforded this writer an opportunity as well as a challenge in working with this type of individual.Being a counselor in a junior high school, he decided to conduct the experimentation within this environment. The grade level selected was grade seven. He selected these seventh grade individuals since they were new to the junior high and therefore had not been previously exposed to any individuals known as counselors. They were also new to departmentalized instruction. This author felt that from the newness aspect, perhaps they would be more receptive to new methods useful in helping themselves to become better students.In attempting to devise a technique in which this experiment could be conducted, various research materials were researched. This author then attempted to identify with any research with which he was familiar. Following the research, group counseling was the technique selected around which the experimentation would be run.In setting up the guidelines for the thesis study, he decided to select only those students classified as underachievers. A questionairre was sent to each elementary principal of the five respective schools asking them to list those prospective seventh graders whom they felt could be classified as underachievers. In addition, a letter was also sent to the respective sixth grade teachers asking their opinions concerning the class of sixth graders they had taught the previous year. All principals and teachers cooperated extremely well by returning their letters with personal notations concerning several students. Having received these lists, the author then turned to the student files where he evaluated each student whose name had appeared on the list with his personal files. By doing so, he was able to eliminate several students who were not classified as underachievers. Having performed this task, he then narrowed the list of students down to sixteen, the number who were involved with the experimentation.Two groups were established with both groups being as homogeneous as this author was able to construct. The sixteen students, eight in each group, consisted of twelve males and four females. These students represented homogeneity of socio-economic status and race as well as academic ability. One group was the experimental group while the second was a control group. The experimental group members became involved in a group counseling program which met twice weekly for at least one hour each meeting. Group counseling offered the students the opportunity to interact with each other and to share those innermost feelings which they had personalized in the past. The group method also allowed the author, who served as group leader, the opportunity to more carefully observe each student and to acquaint himself more personally with the feelings of each member. It should be stated that this author had been involved with group counseling through several instructional classes and as a participant, both as a member and a group leader, thus he felt very capable of professionally running a group experience.The group counseling involved interaction as the most basic technique in attempting to gain insight into each individual's feelings. Sensory awareness techniques were used very minimally in an effort to insure more comfortable feelings with group interaction.The experimental group also took the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, Form J, Intermediate and the California Test of Personality. These two testing devices we-re-selected after careful research into various testing instruments.The control group was active only as far as taking the two tests mentioned above. They were not involved in any group counseling whatsoever and received individual counseling only when they referred themselves.Following the conclusion of the group sessions and of the testing procedures, all tests were scored and evaluated. These test scores were assembled into an apporpriate order through which comparisons were discovered and calculated. The scores were set up as to measure the pretest and post test of the same test within the same group.. This resulted in a score for one group alone. By using this device, four samples resulted; two samples for each group.From research and fro.: meetings with the writer's committee, it was decided to utilize the t-score for the measurement technique of the test results. This scoring device was utilized in most experiments researched. It was also determined to be the most valid and effective measure for this type of experimentation.In order to calculate the t-score on any sample, it was first necessary to extract the mean, the standard deviation, the deviation of the mean, the correlation, and the standard error of measurement. These various terms were explained in much detail within the body of the thesis.Thus, a t-score resulted within the following samples:(1) Experimental Group Otis Lennon Mental Ability(2) Experimental Group - California Test of Personality(3) Control Group - Otis Lennon Mental Ability Test(4) Control Group - California Test of PersonalityThe t-scores were tested at the .05 level of significance to determine whether or not any significant findings had resulted. In each of the four samples no significance was found.In order to obtain a more accurate calculation, a pooled t-score was run on the post test results of the tests administered. Thus a t-score resulted from the following tests:(1) Otis Lennon Mental Ability Test: Experimental Group post test with Control Group post test(2) California Test of Personality: Experimental Group post test with Control Group post testThis t-score resulted in a nonsignificant reading at the .05 level of significance.Even though the results of this hypothesis were not such as to allow this experimenter to show significant findings, neither was he able to discard that which had been performed. In the statistical data collected, the writer perceived several directional patterns which had developed. A few students in the study did not gain whatsoever in self concept or achievement according to test results. There were two students whose post test scores were less than their pretest scores which demonstrated a decrease in self-concept and achievement as measured by the two testing instruments. This demonstrated that even though the hypothesis had failed in gaining overall gains in the areas under study, it had succeeded in improving those stated qualities of a few students.This was a pleasing discovery and it did give hope to the experimenter that some positive signs of growth did accompany this thesis. Thus, in a few students there was a definite correlation between self-concept and achievement even though it was not significant in, the overall picture.From this experimentation additional group counseling sessions have begun with students classified as underachievers. These students are being tested in similar patterns as were the students in the thesis experiment. This author believes that by experimenting with various techniques within the group setting, by experimenting with various testing devices, and by performing additional research into this stated area of study, a correlation may be found and a significant method of attacking this dilemma may be discovered. This would allow this author to more validly work with the underachiever in assisting him to find his place in society by perceiving a greater sense of worth in himself.Although this thesis has not shown any significant pattern in the findings resulting from the study, it has laid the groundwork for a continuation of work within this area. It has created hope that the underachiever can be assisted in a valid manner in such a tray as to help him help himself to greater challenges and greater rewards in his personal future.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

Although self-concept has been a prominent and highly utilized hypothetical construct in psychological research for many years, studies attempting to establish the validity of self-concept instruments are relatively few in number. The purpose of this study was to determine the cross-structural validity of selected self-concept measures -- to determine if self-reports and behavioral ratings of self-concept measure the same construct.There were 202 subjects who participated in the study. They were selected from a pool of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth grade regular education students whose parents had signed permission to participate. One male and one female were selected from each classroom. Certified psychometrists administered two self-concept instruments and one anxiety measure to the students in their regularly assigned buildings, Order of test administration was counterbalanced among buildings, Each teacher completed two behavioral ratings of self-concept and one behavioral rating of anxiety on the male and female selected from his or her classroom, Order of completion was counterbalanced among teachers.A multitrait-multimethod analysis was conducted to determine cross-structural validity. Four different correlations were analyzed: (1) monotrait-monomethod, (2) heteromethod-monotrait, (3) heterotrait-monomethod, and (4) heterotrait-heteromethod. The .01 level was used to establish statistical significance of the correlations.Results of this study demonstrated that there is little cross-structural validity between the self-report measures and behavioral rating forms used:1. The common factor variance was not sufficient enough to consider the methods comparable in spite of the fact that there was a statistically significant relationship between self-report measures and behavioral ratings of self-concept.2. Method variance contributed to the substantial concurrent validity between the Children's Self-Concept Scale and the Self-Esteem Inventory. Similarly, method variance contributed to the substantial concurrent validity between the Inferred Self-Concept Scale and the Behavior Rating Form.3, High negative correlations between self-concept and anxiety within each method suggested that self-concept and anxiety share enough common method variance to disallow the use of anxiety as a totally distinct trait.4, Self-reports and behavioral ratings may each measure a different aspect of self-concept -- the experienced and the presented. Therefore, a combination of the two methods might yield a more global assessment of self-concept.

The current literature on audio and visual self-confrontation has suggested its usefulness as a therapeutic tool in promoting increased self-awareness, movement toward greater psychological health, with the obvious by-product of shorter length of psychological care - a matter of no little import in a time of decreased spending in the area of mental health.In the review of the literature no studies could be found which used a control group and compared audio with visual playback. It was decided to use Huff's (1966) study as a basic format to explore the issue, but to modify it by using video feedback as one of the treatments rather than having the client listen to a tape of a third party being counseled. This was done not only because of the advances in the field of video communications, but also because of perceived ethical problems in treating one client's sessions in a quasi-public manner with non-professionals which also appears to be involved with anonymity and confidentiality issues.This research was undertaken then, to determine whether there is a differential effect on psychological health due to three conditions (Treatment I - psychotherapy and audio self-confrontation, Treatment II - psychotherapy and video self-confrontation, Control - psychotherapy alone) as measured by two psychometric instruments. Thirty subjects from the Ball State Practicum Clinic participated and were assigned in a quasi-random fashion to one of the three groups. Subjects were pre-tested, treated for four sessions, and then post-tested.Statistical analysis on the pre-test of the-semantic differential developed by Huff in his earlier study were performed to determine reliability. Four concepts were retained due to indication of sufficient reliability. One score - the GSI (Global Severity Index) on the SCL-90 (Symptom Check List) was utilized, due to author indication of it being the best general indicator of the overall level of distress. Within-group correlations were calculated for any intercorrelations among variables. Two moderate correlations were found, the rest were independent. Finally, a multivariate analysis of variance was computed to determine treatment effectiveness. 0.09 significance was found which did not allow rejection of the null hypothesis that the means of the two psychometric instruments (five measures considered simultaneously) for the three groups will not differ significantly.