A Correlation Study Between Adolescents' Negative Physical Self And Peer Teasing

Negative physical self, which refers to a passive image of one's body, passive emotional experience and the corresponding adjustment of one's behaviors, is the study of physical self from a negative angle. Nowadays the overseas research on negative physical self is on the increase. Foreign researchers do their research on the characteristics of negative physical self and relevant research fields. Research on negative physical self is fledgling in China.Peer teasing, which refers to experience of peers' negative evaluation of one's appearance, behaviors etc. by means of language abuse and teasing, has a great impact on the physical and mental health of adolescents. There has been adequate research on teasing overseas and there have developed some mature research modes and measuring tools. While the research on teasing is inadequate in China, not to mention measuring tools. This study aims to verify "POTS (Perception of Teasing Scale)" designed by Thompson J K etc. in 1995 and explores the characteristics of adolescents' being teased by peers in Chinese culture; meanwhile the study also aims to prove the hypothesis concerning the relation between adolescents' negative physical self and peer teasing by way of a scale about adolescent's negative physical self.This study, an investigation of 594 adolescent students through a questionnaire of NPSS and POTS, analyzed by factor-analysis approach according to the criteria of measurement, arrives at the same dimensions of Thompson's POTS. The conclusions of the investigation are as follows:1. This study has proved the excellent credibility and reliability of the Chinese version of POTS. Though an analysis of the factors concerned, two dimensions of peer teasing(body-related teasing and ability-related teasing) and two dimensions of the effects of being teased by peer(the effects of body-related teasing and the effects of ability-related teasing), are generalized.2. There is noticeable positive relevance between adolescents' negative physical self and peer teasing. The relevance between negative physical self and body-related teasing is at a higher level than the relevance between negative physical self and ability-related teasing. Multiple regression analysis reveals that body-related teasing and the effects of ability-related teasing are significant indicators of adolescents' negative physical self and that the negative fatness and a negative image of one's appearance are also important indicators of adolescent's being teased.3. There is evident difference of negative physical self between the group of adolescents with a higher frequency of peer teasing and the group of adolescents with a lower frequency of peer teasing.4. On the whole, the rate of adolescents' being teased by peers ranges from zero to a little. Moreover, adolescents will not be disturbed by peer teasing. In terms of the concrete score about peer teasing, there are some differences. The score of adolescents' ability-related teasing is a little higher than that of adolescents' body-related teasing. This kind of result reveals that adolescents' ability is more likely to be teased than their body.Generally, there is no evident difference of adolescent students being teased with regard to their gender or grade except that female adolescent students' score of being teased by peers and being affected by teasing is a little higher than their male counterparts. There is difference in the score of the actual teasing cases concerning adolescent students in various grades.5. In terms of the concrete aspects being teased by peers, the outcome of this investigation is different from that of foreign studies. This study reveals that Chinese adolescent students believe that their "height" is the first factor that is likely to be teased. Other aspects likely to be teased are: their "weight", "intelligence", "'body", "face" and other "things". "Intelligence" is considered by Chinese to be the second factor to be teased.6. Adolescents' rate of being teased by peers and being affected by teasing presents a wavelike development in accordance with their grade levels. The differences of grades of peer teasing are as follows: peer teasing decreases in a straight line from the first grade, second grade third grade in junior high schools to the first and second grades in senior high schools; peer teasing increases in a straight line from the third grade in junior high schools to the first, second and second grades in senior high schools; peer teasing presents a peak like development from the third grade in junior high schools to the second grade in senior high schools; the dividing stage of peer teasing occurs in the second grade in senior high schools, peer teasing decreases to the lowest point in the third grade in junior high schools. The differences of grades of the influence of peer teasing are as follows: the influence of peer teasing increases in a straight line from the first grade to the third grade in junior high schools; the influence of peer teasing is on the decrease from the third grade in junior high schools to the third grade in senior high schools, there are some ups and downs during this stage; the dividing stage occurs in the third grade in junior high schools; the lowest point of the influence of peer teasing occurs in the first grade in junior high schools.