La dimensione relazionale del sé in adolescenza: rappresentazione del sé e confronto con i coetanei

La ricerca mette a fuoco la relazione fra le variabili latenti del confronto sé-altro in adolescenza ed il loro impatto sul valore globale del sé: in particolare intende analizzare il ruolo che variabili diverse ma concorrenti quali il supporto percepito, in termini di “sguardo valorizzante” dei coetanei, e la rappresentazione di sé, in termini di indipendenza o interdipendenza, svolgano nel processo di definizione del valore globale del sé. L’ipotesi specifica è che in questa relazione tra variabili latenti entri in gioco, con funzione di variabile intermedia, l’accettazione sociale, che costituisce uno dei differenti domini del sé, all’interno di un approccio domino-specifico (Harter, 1985). Summary. We explore the relational dimension of the self in adolescence , assuming that comparison with others, particularly peers, is an important predictor of the self. The central issue concerns the relational structure between latent variables of the self -other relationship and their impact on the global self-worth. The different domains of the self-perceptions , particularly social acceptance, and the global self-worth were collected by Self Perception Profile (Harter, 1985); the support perceived from classmates and close-friends, by the Social Support Scale (Harter, 1985); independet/interdependent perspective of self-representation by Independence/Interdependence Scale (IIS, Kato and Marcus, 1993, 1994). Participants were 170 students aged from 13 to 18 , by three different school grades, of both genders (54% boys, 46% girls). The results (structural equation and path model) confirm the significant role of the self-other comparison in defining the global self-worth. The relational capacities in terms of social acceptance are a powerful mediator between internal and external factors. The model underlines the complex dynamic inter-relationship between personal and interpersonal factors in adolescent self-evaluating.