NCJ Number
208325
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 467-477
Date Published
December 2004
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined how ways of changing discrepancies between desired and actual states of achieving developmental goals were related to changes in adolescents' self-esteem over a 2-year period.
Abstract
The data analyzed were from the Berlin Youth Longitudinal Study, which used a stratified random sampling procedure in selecting students from approximately 70 schools in West Berlin. Data were used from waves 2-4, which spanned 2 years. For the 1,234 adolescents participating at wave 2, complete longitudinal data were available for 980 for the interval between wave 2 and wave 3, and data were obtained for 867 for the interval between wave 3 and wave 4. Five developmental tasks derived from Havighurst (1972) and Dreher and Dreher (1984) were measured for the youth; namely, gaining autonomy from parents, building peer relationships, building an intimate heterosexual relationship, preparing for a future career, and developing an identity. The adolescents completed a questionnaire that measured discrepancies between their desired and actual states of development in each of these areas, as well as how they were attempting to change any discrepancy. A four-item scale was used to assess self-esteem. The study found that when developmental goals were held constant while efforts to reach those goals achieved some success, then self-esteem increased; however, when discrepancies were reduced by lowering aspirations, there was no systematic link with a change in self-esteem. An increase in goals was more likely to become a source of psychological distress. 2 tables, 2 figures, and 35 references