SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE: MODERATING EFFECT OF FAMILY VARIABLES

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to investigate the moderating role of family variables in the relationship between self-consciousness and internalizing problems in adolescent boys and girls, and thereby to broaden knowledge about cognitive/social factors interaction in explaining the development and progression of adolescent maladjustment.Self-Consciousness and MaladjustmentSelf-consciousness has been defined as a consistent tendency of persons to direct attention at self-relevant information (Fennigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975; Ingram, 1990). People can be attentive to their inner states, such as emotions, thoughts, personality traits, goals, preferences, perceptions and so forth, or to their behavior - to what one is doing and what one is like (Morin, 2011). Focusing inward and evaluating emotions or perception without reference to others is the private dimension of self-consciousness and focusing outward and evaluating one's behavior, appearance and actions while taking into account the social context is the public dimension of self-consciousness (Mor & Winquist, 2002).Self-consciousness is a cognitive variable that has been extensively discussed as an important contributor to diverse psychopathological states and maladjustment. Over the past two decades researchers demonstrated positive relations between heightened self-consciousness and anxiety, depression and lower self-esteem (Nystedt & Ljungberg, 2002) and loneliness (Schmitt & Kurdek, 1985) in adult population. Results suggest that the tendency to focus on public aspects of the self is associated with neuroticism (Scandell, 1998), social anxiety (Mor & Winquist, 2002) and rejection sensitivity (Fenigstein, 1979), while private self-consciousness is related to problems such as social withdrawal, generalized anxiety and depression (Mor & Winquist, 2002). These research findings of different correlates for private and public self-consciousness and results of extensive meta-analysis (Mor & Winquist, 2002) have supported the distinction between these two subtypes of self-consciousness.Self-Consciousness and Maladjustment in AdolescenceLess empirical attention has been devoted to the association between the self-consciousness dimensions and maladjustment in adolescents. Pludeman (2009) demonstrated positive relationship between selfconsciousness and the degree of adolescent alcohol use. Lewinsohn et al. (1998, 1997, 1994) in three subsequent studies tested psychosocial variables hypothesized to be associated with depression and anxiety in adolescents. The results suggested that formerly depressed and anxious adolescents, in contrast to never depressed and anxious adolescents, showed higher level of self-consciousness. The relationship between private and public self-consciousness and internalizing problems was determined in the study of Bowker and Rubin (2009). Significant associations between both types of selfconsciousness and withdrawn behavior, anxiety, depression and rejection sensitivity were revealed. However, most of the significant correlations between the public self and internalizing problems disappeared after controlling for private self-consciousness. Also, different patterns of relationships in adolescent boys and girls were revealed. Public selfconsciousness was associated with rejection sensitivity in boys, and with anxiety/depression in girls. Private self-consciousness was related to all internalizing problems in girls, but not in boys.Together, past research findings have demonstrated the importance of self-consciousness as cognitive vulnerability for various maladjustment outcomes, which is not limited to adult population, but appears also in adolescence. In addition, the relationship between self-consciousness and internalizing problems seems to be stronger for adolescent girls compared to boys (Mor & Winquist, 2002). This is because girls are more self-focused, both on private and public aspects of the self (Rankin, Lane, Gibbons, & Gerrard, 2004). …