The Relationship Among The Ideal-Actual Self-Discrepancy, Self-Efficacy And Depression Of Adolescents

According to Higgins’s Self-Deficiency theory, individual of exorbitant ideal-actualself-discrepancy is easy to be depressed. While previous researches demonstrateself-efficacy has negative correlation with depression. We think self-discrepancy andself-efficacy reflect two aspects in individual’s self-realization process, so they are likely tobe interacted. Hence, this research attempts to discuss the relationship among theideal-actual self-discrepancy, self-efficacy and depression of adolescents.Research One: Since there is not scale especially used to measure adolescentsideal-actual self-discrepancy in our country now, this research chooses500students fromeight classes in both Grade One and Grade Two of Junior and Senior Middle School assubjects. It employs87questions from various self and personality scales as the initialsource material to do questionnaire research, and finally we work out an AdolescentIdeal-Actual Self-Discrepancy Scale of37questions. This scale includes six bigdimensions which are academic self, physical self, psychological self, social self,associated self and comprehensive evaluation. Physical self contains two small dimensionsof appearance and physical ability; social self contains two small dimensions of relationsbetween teachers and students, and between parents and children and also pear relations;associated self contains two small dimensions of attitude towards life and livingenvironment. The test shows general internal consistency reliability of the scale is0.097and the congruent validity with Song-Hattie self-concept scale is0.857, also theconstruct validity is preferable according to the confirmatory factor analysisResearch Two: Choose500students from eight classes in both Grade One and GradeTwo of Junior and Senior Middle School as subjects. Do test by using self-editedadolescent ideal-actual self-discrepancy scale, GSES and BDI, the results shows:(1) Self-discrepancy has significant positive correlation with age and grade on manysub-scales, and does not have significant difference on gender.Self-efficacy has significant negative correlation with age and grade, and hassignificant difference on gender since boy’s is prominently higher than girl’s.Depression has significant positive correlation with age, while does not havecorrelation with grade, and does not have significant difference on gender.(2) Depression level has significant positive correlation with ideal-actualself-discrepancy.(3) Depression level has significant negative correlation with self-efficacy. (4) Ideal-actual self-discrepancy and self-efficacy are interacted with depression level.The change of depression along with the change of self-discrepancy is slower forindividual with higher self-efficacy.