Research Of The Relationship Between Global Self-worth And Peer Support And Self-construals In Adolescents

Global self-worth refers to the judgments we make about our own worth and the feelings associated with those judgments, and it is an important component of self-concept. Susan Harter and her colleagues did much researches on this theme, putting forward a model of the causes, correlates, and consequencies of global self-worth in adolescents. This model identified that physical appearance, likability by peers, athletic competence affected peer supports, and that scholastic competence, behavioral conduct affected parent supports, which in turn affected global self-worth. Although it presented the relationship between peer support and global self-worth, it could not explain why neglected children did not report low global self-worth. In addition, few of research on this topic were found in China. We tried to study how peer support affect global self-worth, checking and modifying the model addressed by Harter.Our study explored the relationship between global self-worth and peer support and self-construals in adolescents by sociometric techniques and self-report instruments. It included four studies: In study 1 we explored the objective peer support, perceived peer support, and global self-worth among 349 adolescents ; In study 2 we discussed whether importance ratings of peer support was a moderator in the model addressed by Harter among 186 adolescents; In study 3 we explored the relationship between importance ratings of peer support and self-construals among 215 adolescents; In study 4 we try to validate that importance ratings of peer support did moderate between objective peer support and perceived peer support among 385 adolescents.The results indicated:1) Peer rating indicate perceived popularity is a mediator between objective popularity and global self-worth in adolescents;2) Importance ratings of peer support is a moderator between objective popularity and perceived popularity;3 ) Importance ratings of peer support is positively related to the interdependent self; 4) Positive and negative nomination indicate sociometric popularity can not predictadolescents' global self-worth, but perceived peer support can predict adolescents'global self-worth.