Social Support, Achievement Evaluations, and Self-Concepts in Adolescence

Abstract

There is a lack of research on environmental antecedents of self-concept development Using data from a longitudinal study of personality development in adolescence, this analysis investigates the impact of social support from family, teachers and peers and of scholastic achievement evaluations on the development of adolescents’ (grade 5 to 8) self-concept of ability and general self-esteem. Specifically, the present investigation assesses the relative importance and the interactions of different environmental influences. Results from cross-sectional and longitudinal correlation and regression analyses include the following: (a) Self-concept of ability is influenced most by school-related achievement evaluations, general self-esteem by family support and parental acceptance. Results imply that the family continues to be crucial for self-concept development during early and middle adolescence, whereas other environments influence primarily domain-specific self-concepts, (b) By and large, influences from different environments do not interact, that is, they combine in additive ways. Specifically, family support has no buffering effects protecting against negative school influences. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.