This thesis examines the perceptions of interpersonal adequacy held by preadolescent behaviour disordered boys through comparisons with perceptions held of them by putative significant others and normative comparison with their peers. The sample, selected according to behavioural status, comprised 70 boys drawn from 22 regular primary schools in south west Sydney, Australia. Thirty five boys, identified as behaviour disordered, were matched with boys whose behaviour was perceived to be appropriate in the school setting. An overview of the results would suggest that the influence of selected putative significant others on the multidimensional self concepts of preadolescent boys is not universal and varies according to behavioural classification / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The study reported here attempts to demonstrate the utility of group play therapy as a method of reducing aggression in preadolescent aged boys. Previous research has attempted to demonstrate the value of play therapy as a method of dealing with a variety of emotional and behavioral problems.

The problem of this study is to determine if there are fictional books usable by teachers in helping preadolescent boys solve their problems of adjustment. The problem involves the analyses of twenty-five fiction books taken from those books listed by Virginia Bryson Blair in her study, "Directed Reading through the Library for Improving the Social Adjustment of Older Children."