Abstract

Actual-ideal discrepancies are associated with adolescent emotional distress and there is evidence that the size of discrepancies matters. However, the direction of discrepancies has not been examined, perhaps due to limitations of widely used self-discrepancy measures. Two hundred and twelve 7th, 9th and 11th grade students (59% female) in a public school in Jamaica described their actual and ideal selves in several different domains--friendship, dating, schoolwork, family, sports, and religion/spirituality--using a Pie measure. Students also completed measures of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and academic achievement. Discrepancies favoring the ideal self and those favoring the actual self were linked to depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, and poor school grades in the domains of friendship, dating, and schoolwork. Effects were stronger among older adolescents than among younger adolescents. Theories of actual/ideal self-discrepancies have focused on problems arising when the ideal self overshadows the actual self; however, the present study finds that self-discrepancies, regardless of their direction, are a liability. Implications for self-discrepancy measurement, adolescent development, and clinical practice are discussed.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Ferguson GM, Hafen CA, Laursen B

Institution

Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA. gmfergus@knox.edu

Source

Journal of youth and adolescence 39:12 2010 Dec pg 1485-97

MeSH

Achievement
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adolescent Psychology
Age Factors
Aspirations (Psychology)
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Defense Mechanisms
Depressive Disorder
Female
Friends
Humans
Male
Personal Satisfaction
Personality Assessment
Psychometrics
Self Concept
Social Identification
Socioeconomic Factors

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

19830533