Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

ADOLESCENTS’
Images of Self;
Images of Society;
Images of Self-in-Society

By Eugene Walton
 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

ADOLESCENTS’
Images of Self;
Images of Society;
Images of Self-in-Society

One of the questions researchers and supporters of self esteem/self image

training/development for adolescents frequently ask is this: would these feelings of
high positive images of themselves ―flow out‖ to create similarly positive feelings
for their society and their places in society? Do these images of themselves
positively correlate with their images of society and with how they see themselves
in that society.

One way of approaching the answer to this question would be to measure the self
esteem/self image of a significant sample of the population and determine how
these findings correlated with the sample’s images of society and the images of
themselves-in-society.

The sample of respondents available for this research effort consisted of 1,140
adolescents (ages 15 – 25) but by no means a ―typical‖ sample of American
youngsters. Demographically speaking, the sample was 57% African American, 15
% white, 10% Hispanic, 5% Asian American, and 5% Native American. (Ethnicity
not reported: 8%). These respondents were also ‖atypical‖ because there were all
enrolled in a fulltime job training program (evidence of a higher than ―average‖
motivation toward achieving future careers).
 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

Participants Self Esteem

To determine how these adolescents felt about themselves we administered the

Morris Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1981). The scale center on how respondents
feel about themselves in relation to all others. The scale presents ten statements
with which respondents are asked if they Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed, or
Strongly Disagreed. Responses were scaled from 1 (most negative) to 4 (most
positive) where the midpoint is 2.5.

The adolescent in this sample scored relatively high on the total scale at 3.1 out of
a possible 4. Responses by item included the following resu.lts:

Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

On the whole, I am satisfied

with myself. 56% 35% 7% 2%

I am able to do things as well

as most others. 52% 35% 115 2%

I feel I’m a person of worth

on an equal plane with others. 44% 43% ll% 3%

Almost all (91%) of the adolescents in this sample felt satisfied‖ with themselves;
almost as many (87%) felt ―able to do things as well as most others, and felt they
 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

were persons of worth ―on equal plane with others (86%). These quantified results
strongly support a contention that this sample of adolescents indeed had a high
opinion of themselves (self-esteem), setting a high bar for measuring their attitudes
about their environment.

Participants’ Views of Society

To determine how these adolescents felt about that part of their environment called
―society‖ we administered scales from the Walton/Walton-Moss Life Management
Skills research instrument. These responses, too, were reactions to scaled
statements with which they could Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree or Strongly
Disagree. The scales were designed to measure perceptions of society’s fairness
and reward system.

The adolescents in the sample scored lower on the Perceptions of Society scales
than on Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem scale. In terms of whether they Strongly Agreed,
Agreed, Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed, they, as a group, scored 2.5, the exact
midpoint of the scale—sought of like neither agreeing or disagreeing with the
statements presented.

Their perceptions of society was measure along two lines: Fairness of Society and
Society’s Reward System. The measure of Fairness of Society included the
following scales:

Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

Most people get what they

are due because there is a

 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

basic fairness in society. 21% 42% 25% 12%

There is no basic fairness

in the way society operates. 21% 34% 35% 10%

The rules of society are

basically fair and are

applied fairy. 16% 39% 36% 18%

The findings on adolescents’ attitudes toward the fairness in society were puzzling
and conflicting. In their strongest positive position (whether there is ―basic fairness
in society‖) 63% ―agreed‖ that there was. Yet slightly fewer (56%) ―agreed‖ with
the statement that ―there is no basic fairness in society,‖ and about the same
number (54%) ―disagreed‖ with a statement about the rules of society being
basically fair. When one statement declares there is fairness in society and another
declares the opposite and both are supported. All this points to the need for further
research.

Adolescents’ feelings toward society were also measured by statements about the
society’s reward system. Their response in this are included the following.

Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

Everyone gets rewarded on

 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

the basis of their

contributions. 18% 38% 31% 13%

Some people get less than the

are due because there is no

fairness in society. 27% 36% 27% 10%

What you contribute to

society is more important

than who you are. 16% 27% 33% 24%

What you contribute to

society is more important

than who you know. 22% 44% 25% 9%

Adolescents’ attitudes toward their society were far from ―clear cut‖, but less
mixed than attitudes toward society ―fairness.‖ They agreed almost two to one
(63% to 37%) that some people are being short changed because of a lack of
fairness in society. This view was supported by their rejections (56% to 44%) of
the idea that ―everybody gets rewarded according to their contributions.‖ The
remaining look at adolescents attitudes toward society focused on whether ―who
you are‖ or ―who you know‖ is more important in deterring rewards. They
decided ―who you know‖ is more important that ―who you are‖ (66% to 43%).
 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

Participants’ Perceptions of Self-in-Society

The second prediction of the thesis was that high self esteem would flow
downward to and positively influence adolescents’ feelings about themselves-in-
society. The expectation was tested by a series of scaled agree-disagree
statements from the Walton/Walton-Moss instrument that focused on attitudes
toward moral behavior. The question to be answered was “Do adolescents who
feel good about themselves also feel motivated to do the right thing in that
society?” Their total scale score was 2.6 (out of possible 4.’0, with 2.50 midpoint.)
Though this is higher than their 2.50 score for Perceptions of Society, it seems to
represent a significant drop-off from their high self esteem (3.1).

Responses to the Perception of Self-in-Society Scale were:

Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

I do what is

right, even

when my friends

don’t agree

with me. 40% 40% 15% 5%

I do what is right,

even when there

is nothing in it

for me. 33% 45% 17% 5%

 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

I do what is right

even if it causes

me to lose

something I have. 28% 41% 22% 9%

Doing what is

right means

doing what is

best for me. 49% 31% 16% 4%

The overwhelmingly majority of these adolescents said that they did what
was right even when friends did not agree with them (80%), when there was
nothing in it for themselves (78)% and even when it caused them to lose
something they had (69%). But the mean score for the scale is pulled down by
their responses to the item that attempted to define what is “right” behavior-in-
their society. The individual means for each statement are shown below:

I do what is right even when my friends

don’t agree with me. 3.3

I do what is right, even when there

is nothing in it for me. 3.2

I do what is right, even if it causes me

to lose something I have. 3.0

 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

Doing what is right means doing

what is best for me. 1.7

One might interpret this to mean that those adolescents are very selfish in
defining what is right, but by substituting “what is best for me” for “right”
strongly suggests that is not so. Consider “I do (what is best for me) even when
there is nothing in it for me” or “I do (what is best for me) even if it causes me to
lose something I have.”

This would seem to indicate that the “true” mean for the Perception of
Self-in-Society Scale is the mean of the first three statements without the fourth,
which came out to be 3.1 (the same as for self-esteem.) While this does not mean
that feelings about themselves “flowed downward” to their feelings about
themselves-in-society, it does show the adolescents see themselves and their
behavior in society in the same positive way.

The data presented thus far on the total sample of 1.140 adolescents does
not support the thesis that their high self esteem “flows downward to” and
results in their positive attitudes toward society and their behavior in society. The
original question was “ Do adolescents who feel good about themselves also feel
good about their society and their behavior in society?” The answer is no, self
esteem does not cause or control adolescents’ attitudes toward society or social
behavior.

This finding raises serious questions about the high value we place on self esteem
in the lives of our children and adolescents. We assume that if we can keep their
 Walton – Adolescents’ Images of Self, Society and Self-in-Society

self esteem high this will keep them out of “trouble” (teen pregnancy, alcohol and
drug addition, violence, school drop out). We believe this because we assume
that there is a relationship between high self esteem and positive social behavior
that does not in fact exist. Self esteem cannot play this social control role widely
expected of it today because it is not tied to behavior and thus as only limited
usefulness for understanding adolescent behavior.

Understanding adolescent behavior will require a complete shift in paradigm from

self esteem (how you “feel”) to behavior based self image. This brand of behavior
based self image that I prefer is defined as “how you see yourself in terms of your
ability to CONCEIVE and ACHIEVE personal goals.”

People tend to be what they see in their self image. Seeing their goals and
seeing themselves achieving those goals is the kind of “tie-in” between attitudes
and behavior that has a chance of influencing adolescent behavior in ways that
decrease social problems. For example, young females who see their goals and
see themselves achieving those goals will also see how teen pregnancy
jeopardizes their potential success—this realization will do more to prevent their
teen pregnancy than all the things that could be done to make them “feel good
about themselves.”

Easing off the current emphasis on self esteem and moving to self Image as
conceiving and achieving personal goals has the potential for not only
understanding adolescent behavior but for effectively influencing it as well. This
way adolescents will not only reduce social problems through positive behavior
AND feel good about themselves for a good reason.