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Relational Self‐Worth: Differences in Perceived Worth as a Person across Interpersonal Contexts among Adolescents
Author(s) -
Harter Susan,
Waters Patricia,
Whitesell Nancy R.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1998.tb06241.x
Subject(s) - self worth , psychology , context (archaeology) , interpersonal communication , context effect , social psychology , interpersonal relationship , perception , developmental psychology , self concept , self , self esteem , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , neuroscience , word (group theory) , biology
The present study investigated the hypothesis that in addition to perceptions of one's global self‐worth as a person, individuals evaluate their self‐worth differently across relational contexts. Perceptions of self‐worth among adolescents were examined in 4 such contexts: with parents, teachers, male classmates, and female classmates. The factor pattern revealed a clear, 4‐factor solution with negligible cross‐loadings. Approximately three‐fourths of the participants reported differences in self‐worth, ranging from small to large, across contexts. To examine the basis for differences and similarities across relationships, self‐worth in each context was predicted by the validation support reported by adolescents in that context. Support in a given context was significantly more highly correlated with relational self‐worth in the corresponding context than in any of the other contexts. Adolescents could be divided into subgroups based upon the high correlation between self‐worth in one particular context and global self‐worth. These findings suggest that how an individual evaluates the self in certain relationships is critical to his or her overall sense of worth as a person.