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Gender Self-concept Profiles of Adolescents Suspended from High School

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2000

Ian Hay
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
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Abstract

The gender self-concept profiles of 128 adolescents (107 males) whose persistent behaviour problems led to suspension from school were investigated. Establishing the students' percentile ratings in the 11 subscales of the Self-Description Questionnaire overcame previous methodological weaknesses. For boys and girls Physical Appearance, Opposite-sex Relationships, and Honesty and Trustworthiness were in the average range, but Parent Relationships, General Self, and General School self-concepts were low. Only girls were low for Same-sex Relationships and Emotional Stability. The profiles suggest that boys' antisocial behaviours are associated with striving for a masculine self-image, but girls' antisocial behaviours are associated with greater social marginalisation. The issues of multi-focused interventions, prosocial role models, the particular needs of girls, and the relationship between self-control, self-enhancement, and reputation enhancement theories are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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