Study of Ideal-Self Discrepancy and Observed Social Behaviors in a Therapeutic Community

1989 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 495-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary K. Rogers ◽  
Francis J. Kelly

This descriptive study explored relations between ideal self-discrepancy (often referred to as self-esteem or self-concept) and behaviors observed in 27 residents of a therapeutic community for polydrug users. The Sliding Person Test (SPERT), an abstract, nonverbal measure of self-reported, ideal self-discrepancy was administered three times a week, for seven consecutive weeks to 27 subjects after regularly scheduled group meetings. Data were charted on graphs to reveal fluctuations of ideal self-discrepancy and incidences of observed, documented changes in behavior. Analysis suggests the instrument detects some changes in ideal self-discrepancy congruent with transitional behaviors. In more than half of the cases, fluctuation of 25% or more in discrepancy between ideal self-concept and at-the-moment self-concept was directly related to an observed change in behavior or residents' transition in the hierarchy of the program's structure. Implications for validity and reliability issues concerning measures of ideal-self-discrepancy are briefly discussed.

1974 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 311-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Zimmermann ◽  
Raymond Guest ◽  
Charles Geist

24 prison inmates who participated in a psychotherapy program were compared on a self-concept inventory with 19 inmates who did not participate. Self-esteem was defined in terms of the discrepancy between actual-self and ideal-self measures. The greater the discrepancy, the lower the self-esteem. A significant number of Ss in the therapeutic program showed reduction in the discrepancy score after 1 yr. in the program, while the non-therapy Ss showed a slight, but nonsignificant, increase.


LITERA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-93
Author(s):  
Yeni Artanti

Identitas atau konsep diri merupakan representasi seseorang.  Konsep diri pengarang  dapat direkonstruksi pembaca melalui karya-karyanya, salah satunya autobiografi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan konsep diri perempuan di persimpangan budaya, mencakup gambaran diri, harga diri, dan harapan diri. Sumber data penelitian ini adalah roman autobiografi Stupeur et Tremblements karya Amélie Nothomb.  Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dengan teknik analisis interpretatif. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik membaca, mencatat, mengklasifikasikan, dan mengkoding.  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya konsep diri sebagai berikut. Pertama, kegagalan usaha peleburan diri tokoh Aku atau Amélie, sosok perempuan Belgia terdidik, menguasai bahasa Jepang dan diterima bekerja di Perusahaan Yumimoto sebagai penerjemah Jepang-Belgia/Prancis,  namun terpaksa harus menerima dirinya diperkerjakan  sebagai pembersih toilet, agar diterima dan melebur sebagai seorang Jepang. Dia mencoba menghapus dirinya dan mencoba melebur dalam cara pikir dan  budaya Jepang, tempat ia dilahirkan dan tumbuh sampai usia lima tahun. Kedua,  self-esteem atau harga diri yang selalu direndahkan oleh atasannya, wanita Jepang bernama Mori Fubuki, Saito dan Omichi. Hal itu  berbenturan dengan keyakinan dan penilaian dirinya sebagai perempuan yang tumbuh di Barat. Ketiga,  ideal self tokoh Amélie di Jepang yang tidak tercapai.  Tokoh ini mengalami  self-discrepancies, yaitu harapan dirinya berbeda dengan kenyataan. Pada akhirnya ia dapat mengaktualisasikan diri menjadi penulis setelah kembali ke  Belgia. Kata Kunci: identitas, feminisme, barat-timur, autobiografi, konsep diri WOMEN'S SELF-CONCEPT IN CULTURAL JUNCTION IN AMÉLIE NOTHOMB’S STUPEUR ET TREMBLEMENTS AUTOBIOGRAPHY AbstractIdentity is closely related to self-concept. Through an autobiography, authors reconstruct their concepts through their works. This study is aimed at describing women’s self-concepts in a cross-cultural setting which includes their self-images, self-esteem, and self-ideals. The main source of this study is “Stupeur et Tremblements”, an autobiography written by Amélie Nothomb. This study is a descriptive qualitative research using interpretive analysis techniques. Data collection is done by reading, collecting, classifying, and coding. The results show that self-concepts consist of (1) dissolution of selves marked by the figure of ‘I’ as  Amélie, a Belgian woman, 22 years, educated, mastering Japanese, accepted to work at Yumimoto as a Japanese-French translator but working as toilet janitor in this company. She tried to fuse into the Japanese way of thinking and culture, the country where she was born and grew until she was five years old; (2) her self-esteem is always demeaned by his direct supervisor, a Japanese woman named Mori Fubuki and also Omichi. It clashes with her beliefs and considerations as a woman who grew up as a Western woman; and (3) Amélie’s ideal self in Japan was disapproved because she faced self-discrepancies and pushed her to return to Belgium and became a successful writer. Keywords: identity, feminism, east-west, autobiography, self-concept


1973 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmuth Fichtler ◽  
Robert R. Zimmermann ◽  
Ray T. Moore

2 prison groups made up of newly arrived prisoners and maxinum security prisoners, and 2 non-prison groups made up of psychology students from the University of Montana and rural church members were given a self-concept inventory. Self-esteem was defined in terms of the discrepancy between scores on the actual-self and ideal-self measures. The greater the discrepancy, the lower the self-esteem. The maximum security prisoners had the lowest self-esteem, the rural church group had the highest self-esteem, and the other groups fell in between. A positive correlation was found between self-esteem and time in prison. The greater the time in prison, the lower self-esteem scores.


2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin R. Vallacher ◽  
Andrzej Nowak ◽  
Michael Froehlich ◽  
Matthew Rockloff

We conceptualize self-concept as a self-organizing dynamical system and investigate implications of this perspective for the dynamic and fixed-point attractor tendencies of self-evaluative thought. Participants who differed in self-concept valence (self-esteem) and coherence (self-certainty, self-stability) engaged in verbal self-reflection for several minutes, then used a computer mouse to track the moment-to-moment self-evaluation expressed in their recorded narrative. Prior to self-reflection, participants recalled positive or negative past actions (positive vs. negative priming), or did not recall past actions (no priming). Priming affected overall self-evaluation (i.e., greatest positivity under positive priming), but only early in the narrative. The effects of self-concept, in contrast, became stronger over time. Self-esteem affected overall self-evaluation, whereas self-certainty and self-stability affected the dynamic properties (e.g., rate of movement between self-evaluative states) and attractor tendencies of self-evaluation. Discussion centers on the interplay between structure and dynamics in the self-system.


1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-406
Author(s):  
Hossein Mojdehi

Using a Semantic Differential type of questionnaire, the self-concept, ideal-self, and the discrepancies between them were measured for 45 male and 36 female Iranian psychiatric patients admitted to a University-affiliated hospital in the first 48 hr. of hospitalization and compared with those of a group of 24 normals. Significant differences were found in self-concept and self-concept/ideal-self discrepancy between the two groups. After a 4-wk. interval, the testing was repeated and changes as to self-concept, and self-concept—ideal-self discrepancy of patients were investigated and contrasted with the same for normals. Results indicated that, while the self-concept and discrepancy of self-concept/ideal-self of the normals remained stable, those of mental patients significantly improved but were still lower than those of normals.


2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reimer Kornmann

Summary: My comment is basically restricted to the situation in which less-able students find themselves and refers only to literature in German. From this point of view I am basically able to confirm Marsh's results. It must, however, be said that with less-able pupils the opposite effect can be found: Levels of self-esteem in these pupils are raised, at least temporarily, by separate instruction, academic performance however drops; combined instruction, on the other hand, leads to improved academic performance, while levels of self-esteem drop. Apparently, the positive self-image of less-able pupils who receive separate instruction does not bring about the potential enhancement of academic performance one might expect from high-ability pupils receiving separate instruction. To resolve the dilemma, it is proposed that individual progress in learning be accentuated, and that comparisons with others be dispensed with. This fosters a self-image that can in equal measure be realistic and optimistic.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Katja Upadaya

This study introduces the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory (EDA), which measures energy, dedication, and absorption with respect to schoolwork. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the validity and reliability of the inventory among students attending postcomprehensive schools. A total of 1,530 (769 girls, 761 boys) students from 13 institutions (six upper-secondary and seven vocational schools) completed the EDA 1 year apart. The results showed that a one-factor solution had the most reliability and fitted best among the younger students, whereas a three-factor solution was most reliable and fit best among the older students. In terms of concurrent validity, depressive symptoms and school burnout were inversely related, and self-esteem and academic achievement were positively associated with EDA. Boys and upper-secondary-school students experienced lower levels of schoolwork engagement than girls and vocational-school students.


2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel de Gracia Blanco ◽  
Josep Garre Olmo ◽  
María Marcó Arbonès ◽  
Pilar Monreal Bosch

Summary: Self-concept is a construct consisting of a group of specific self-perceptions that are hierarchically organized. Age-associated changes of self-concept are related to the individual's perception of the changes occurring throughout the aging process. The authors examined external validity and internal consistency of an instrument that has been developed to assess self-concept in older adults and examined self-concept's characteristics in two different contexts. Results confirm the multidimensionality of the scale and show a satisfactory external validity, indicating good discriminatory capacity. Findings support the hypothesis that older people who live in a nursing home have a poor self-esteem, self-concept, and psychological well-being and have a greater presence of depressive symptoms than people who live in their own home.


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