The importance of adolescents' selves: Description, typology and context

Real self and ideal self are seen as important determinants of self-satisfaction or self-acceptance. Specific importance can be ascribed to other self-representations such as the unwanted self, and the self according to significant others. Empirical study was oriented towards the description of subjective importance of the self-modalities (total sample 745 subjects, a mean age 15.8 years). Results indicate a stability of high importance self according to parents, and of the importance of the actual, ideal, and unwanted self of adolescents. Three empirical types were identified: External anchored, less autonomous self-concept (Type 1), autonomously anchored, parents influenced self-concept (Type 2), and autonomously anchored, peers influenced self-concept (Type 3).