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Relationship Between Self-esteem And Locus Of Control Among Well Functioning Adolescents
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Adolescents experience many problems, including teen pregnancy, alcohol
and drug use/abuse and violence, school failure and eating disorder
(Callalian, & Stein 2003). The extent and seriousness of these
problems may cause social scientists, policy makers and parents to
overlook youth who are well functioning: teens that excel in school,
have positive family and peer relationships, and have minimal
participation in behaviors such as stated above. (Demon, 2004; Moore et
al., 2004).
Adolescent has been described as a phase of life
beginning in biology and ending in society (Peterson, 1988). Indeed,
adolescent may be defined as the period within the life span when most
of a person’s biological, cognitive, psychological and social
characteristics are changing from what is typically considered
child-like to what is considered adult-like (Learner and Spainer, 1980).
For adolescents’, this period is a dramatic challenge, one requiring
adjustment to changes in the self, in the family, and in the peer group.
In contemporary society, adolescent experience institutional changes as
well. Among young adolescents, there is a change in school setting,
typically involving a transition from elementary school to either junior
high school or middle school; and in late adolescence there is a
transition from high school to the worlds of work, University or
childrearing.
Adolescent is a time of excitement and of
anxiety, of happiness and of troubles, of discovery and of bewilderment,
and of breaks with the past and yet of links with the future.
Adolescence can be a confusing time – for the adolescent experiencing
this phase of life; for the parents who are nurturing the adolescent
during his or her progression through this period; for adults charged
with enhancing the development of youth during this period of life, and
with disturbing, historically unprecedented frequency – for adolescents
who themselves find themselves in the role of parents. When we searched
the literature it became clear that the vast majority of adolescent
research reported on the causes and correlates of problem behaviors
(Shagle and Barber, 1995; Small and Luster, 1994; Pick and Palos, 1995).
Most research on adolescent focuses on specific problem behaviors,
whereas few studies examine the avoidance of multiple forms of risk
taking or the determinants of positive development (Moore and Glei,
1995). Positive youth development approach helps in enhancing adolescent
development, and for helping youth reach their full potential. This
approach recognizes that all adolescents have strengths and that
children and youth will develop in positive ways when these strengths
are aligned with resources for healthy development in the various
settings in which adolescent, live and interact.
Research
indicates that the more exposure that adolescents have to positive
resources and experiences and where synergy between multiple settings
can be established – the more likely it is that they will develop,
positively. Therefore, physical and institutional resources present in
the social environment (for example, family support) are just as
essential for promoting positive youth development as are individual
assets (such as skills, talents, self-esteem and resiliency). These
resources provide adolescents with routines and structure, as well as
opportunities for learning, recreation, and engagement with individuals
and their communities.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study investigated the relationship between self-esteem and locus of control among well-functioning Adolescents. A total of 100 Adolescents (55 males and 45 females) selected from senior secondary school were used. The participants were within the age range of 15-19 years with a mean age of 17 years. Three set of instrument comprising self-esteem test (Adenyo & Oyefoso 1985) Locus of control test (Criag, Franklin & Andrew 1984) and Kohn, Brien-wood, pukening & Decicco (2003) were used. Corr ... Continue reading---
