NCJ Number
127099
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 25 Issue: 100 Dated: (Winter 1990) Pages: 839-946
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study uses a sample of 399 adolescents (147 males and 252 females) in Yugoslavia to hypothesize that the role of significant others in the development of adolescents' self-esteem would decline with age and that the relative impact would be different for males and females. A self-report questionnaire used five sets of three items based on bipolar adjective 7-point scales.
Abstract
The findings revealed differences in self-evaluation based on both sex and age; females had higher self-esteem than males, and younger adolescents had higher self-esteem than older ones. The contribution of significant others to the development of self-esteem decreased with age for the males, whereas the females displayed a reverse pattern. Boys were more likely to be influenced by others' opinions of them, and their activities and friends outside of school were more important, while girls were more oriented towards their role in school. However, for both sexes, mothers influenced self-evaluation around the age of 15, while friends become more important during later adolescence. Future research with a more precise instrument is needed to validate these results. 1 table and 14 references