Practitioner Report: The Role Self-Complexity, Self-Verification, and Self-Handicapping in Understanding Adolescents with High Emotional Needs

Abstract

ABSTRACTProviders of alternative educational programs for adolescents who are not coping with mainstream secondary education have relied historically on behavioural and cognitive theories for intervention rationales. However, psychologists are increasingly turning to the motivational role of the self-system, particularly to the developmental and multidimensional construct of self-perception, for theoretical guidelines to educational practice. Self-verification, self-complexity, and self-handicapping are three theoretical constructs within a social psychological perspective that help to explain non-compliant and unusual adolescent behaviour and provide direction to service providers for its management.