Chinese adolescents' self-concept as measured by the offer self-image questionnaire

This article reports results of a study of self-image among 426 adolescents from the Republic of China (Taiwan). Self-image was studied through use of a Chinese translation of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. Subjects were from public schools and a factory setting in the Republic of China. Implications for understanding Chinese youth as well as problems in doing cross-cultural research are discussed.Received M.A. from the University of Chicago. Major interests are crosscultural differences in socialization, and social gerontology.Received M.A. from Case Western Reserve University. Major interests are hospital social work and family counseling.     

Psychiatrists' concept of adolescent self-image

The objectives of the study were as follows: (1) to determine the accuracy of psychiatrists' concepts of the self-image of healthy and disturbed adolescents, and (2) to examine the effects of psychiatrists' gender, experience, and specialization on the accuracy of these concepts. Toward this end, eighty-four psychiatrists completed a modified Offer Self-image Questionnaire as they believed a mentally healthy 15-year-old of their gender would respond. These responses were compared to those of 140 nonpatient 15-year-olds. Sixty-one psychiatrists completed the questionnaire as they believed a disturbed 15-year-old of their gender would respond. These responses were compared to the responses of 70 psychiatric inpatient 15-year-olds of the same diagnosis. The results were that psychiatrists had a more accurate concept of normal adolescents' self-image than was found in 1981. However, their view of the self-image of disturbed adolescents was more psychopathological than the disturbed adolescents viewed themselves. Psychiatrists' gender, number of years postresidency, and type of training had no effect on the accuracy of the psychiatrists' concepts. The results demonstrate that while psychiatrists work with disturbed adolescents, they have a more accurate perception of the self-image of normal adolescents. This can effect the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent patients.Presented on May 24, 1994, at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Received M.D. from Rush Medical College. Research interest is in adolescent psychology.Received M.D. from University of Chicago. Research interests are in adolescent development psychology and psychopathology.Received Ph.D. from University of Chicago. Research interests are in psychotherapy research and adolescent psychology.Received Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University. Research interests are in adolescence and child development.     

The self-image of physically abused adolescents

Thirty physically abused adolescents were compared via the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire to thirty nonabused adolescents who were from a similar background. Another control group was comprised of normal adolescents tested by Offer, Ostrov, and Howard (1981). Results showed that physically abused adolescents feel worse in a number of areas when compared to nonabused adolescents. These areas include family relations, emotional stability, psychopathology, impulse control, coping skills, as well as poorer overall self-image. Implications are drawn for the professional's treatment of abused children and their responsibility to report abuse.This study was completed as part of the first author's doctoral dissertation at California Graduate Institute.Received Ph.D. from California Graduate Institute. Current research interests are psychoanalytic therapy and adolescent development.Received Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.     

Hungarian adolescents' self-concept

Hungarian and United States adolescents' self-image was studied using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ). In Hungary, 1,163 younger and older male and female adolescents were studied using a Hungarian translation of the OSIQ. Analyses of endorsement patterns of OSIQ items showed that Hungarian and American adolescents endorsed many items in the same way. Similarities in endorsement patterns were much more common between the two countries than were differences. Analyses of OSIQ scales showed that for most scales younger Hungarian adolescents reported better adjustment than younger American adolescents. Differences were not as great or reversed in the older age groups. Implications for cross-cultural studies of adolescent self-image were drawn based on these results.Received M. D. from the Semmelweis Medical university in Budapest. Research interest is complex somato-mental health care of adolescents.Received M. D. from the University of Chicago. Major interests are concepts of mental health and the developmental psychology of adolescence.Director, Forensic Psychology, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center. Received J. D. from the University of Chicago School of Law; received Ph. D. in human development from the University of Chicago. Research interests are adolescence and delinquency.Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University. Received Ph. D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. Major interests are psychotherapy research and adolescence.     

Sex,sex roles,and self-image

The purpose of this research was to compare the self-images of male and female children in order to determine whether females were at a particular disadvantage and, if so, why. A random sample of 1988 children from grades 3–12 were interviewed in Baltimore in 1968. Findings show more disturbance among White adolescent females than among White males or Black females: White girls become much more self-conscious and show greater self-image instability and somewhat lower self-esteem. Three sets of factors appear to explain part of these differences: (1) attitudes toward present and future sex role, (2) peer relationships in general and opposite sex relationships in particular, and (3) attitudes toward changing looks in adolescence.The work of the first author is currently supported by a Research Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health, No. 5-K1-MH-41, 688-03. The work was also partly supported by USPHS Grants 1-F3-MH-41, 688-01 and MH-197541-01.The data were collected in 1968.Received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and has been interested in the social determinants of the self-image and in studies of the social psychological consequences of organ transplantation.Received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and is interested in social psychology in general and sex roles in particular.     

A survey of adolescent military family members' self-image

The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire was administered to 135 adolescent military family members, ages 13 through 18. The data suggest that the usual demands placed on the military family do not deter the adolescent from developing a healthy self-image.The contents herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the Department of Defense.Received his M.D. from Tulane University. Research interests are adolescence and substance abuse.     

Late adolescents' conceptualizations of home-leaving

Separation from the family, a key developmental task, has received scant attention from developmentalists. In this study, college students' dissimilarity ratings and ratings on 22 bipolar adjective scales were obtained for a set of 20 definitions of home-leaving. Results of a cluster analysis revealed that conceptualizations of the definitions are organized in terms of eight clusters. Ratings on the 22 adjective scales provided an empirical means for interpreting the typological structure of the home-leaving definitions. Convergence the results of this inductive study of home-leaving and elements of ego development theory was noted.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1979. Major research interests are moral development, parent-adolescent separation, and attribution theory.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1979. Major research interests are parent-adolescent separation, attitudes/values in adolescence, and evaluation research.     

Transcultural comparisons of self-image in German and United States adolescents

Based on the Offer Selfimage Questionnaire (OSIQ), the selfimage of German and United States adolescents was compared. The German study was based on OSIQ protocols from 365 adolescents in West Berlin while the American sample comprised adolescents drawn from seven cities in the United States. With respect to three scales, United States adolescents report better adjustment than do the German adolescents. These scales were Mastery of the External World, Vocational and Educational Goals, and Superior Adjustment. In general, these two Western societies share more similarities than differences in the selfimages of their adolescents.Received M.D. and Ph.D in Psychology from the University of Hamburg, Germany. Research interests are high-risk studies, child psychiatric epidemiology, and adolescence.Received M.D. from the University of Chicago. Major interests are concepts of mental health and the developmental psychology of adolescence.Received J. D. from the University of Chicago School of Law; received Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago. Research interests are adolescence and delinquency.Received Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago. Major interests are psychotherapy research and adolescence.     

The self-image of adolescents: A study of four cultures

This paper describes the utilization of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) for research purposes on a variety of adolescent populations and demonstrates the OSIQ's effectiveness in meaningfully separating normal, juvenile delinquent, and emotionally disturbed adolescents; older and younger teenagers; males and females. It also considers the utilization of the OSIQ in four different cultures (United States, Ireland, Australia, and Israel) and concentrates on the results obtained when the OSIQ is given adolescents in these four cultures. It discusses the findings and points to some of the methodological problems which are inherent in doing cross-cultural research.Presented at the American Educational Research Association meeting in San Francisco, California, April 20, 1976.Received his M.D. from the University of Chicago. He interned at the University of Illinois and took his psychiatric residency at Michael Reese Hospital and University of Chicago. He is a graduate of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago. Major interests have been concept of mental health and the developmental psychology of adolescence.Received his Ph.D. in human development from the University of Chicago. Research interests are adolescence and delinquency.Received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. Major interests are psychotherapy research and adolescence.     

Demographic correlates of adolescents' helping behavior

The helping behavior of 250 sixth-grade children was assessed by four different measures and related to several demographic variables. The results indicated that (a) more girls were helpful than boys; (b) more children of European-American and Israeli origin were helpful than those of Asian — (North) African origin; (c) more children having fathers with a high level of education were helpful than those having fathers with a low level of education; and (d) more secondborn children were helpful than firstborn. These results are explained and their importance indicated.The study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid from Tel-Aviv University.Received Ph.D. from Hebrew University. Current interests are prosocial behavior and school climate.Received Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh. Current interests are prosocial behavior and the social psychology of education.     

Rural adolescents' perceived personal risks for suicide

Rural adolescents' suicidal cognitions were assessed while conducting a larger project on risk perception. This allowed for a more indirect (less reactive) method of assessment than is typical in related research. High school students (n=455) rated on a 7-point scale their personal risks for 24 lethal events, including suicide. Over half the adolescents (56%) reported some risk for suicide, of which 12% reported that their subjective risk was quite likely. The rates are consistent with prevalence rates for suicidal ideations obtained from studies using more direct methods of assessment. Public high school students were significantly more likely to report serious suicide risks than parochial high school students. This finding is discussed in the context of Durkheim's proposition that religions deter self destructive impulses.Received Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Research interest: adolescents' perceptions of risks.Received Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Research interests: in the areas of identity, self, and personality.     

Educational correlates of adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior

Parents' educational attainment is known to be related to their children's educational aspirations and plans, and these variables have been presumed to be inversely related to early adolescent sexual activity. Relationships between these educational variables and adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior were analyzed in a sample of 810 high school students from two Western states. Parents' educational background was positively related to adolescents' educational plans and performance, and these educational variables were inversely related to adolescents' premarital sexual attitudes and intercourse experience. It seems most plausible to conclude that parents' educational backgrounds affect children's educational interests and grades, which, in turn, affect adolescent sexuality. However, the observed associations also could be interpreted to suggest that early sexual behavior reduces adolescents' educational plans and lowers their school grades.The data analyzed here were collected as part of a prevention demonstration grant (APH 003-6-01-0) awarded to Terrance D. Olson by the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs. This paper is based on the master's thesis of the second author.Received Ph.D. in Family Sociology from the University of Minnesota. Research interests concern the antecedents and consequences of early adolescent sexual behavior.Received a master's degree from the Department of Family and Human Development at Utah State University. Interested in the problem behaviors of young teenagers.     

The etiology of adolescents' perceptions of their weight

The present study examined adolescents' actual and perceived weights in relation to why adolescents think they weigh what they do, where adolescents obtain weight control information, and adolescents' weight locus of control. The study was conducted in a Midwestern high school, based on information obtaind from 194 freshmen. Thirty percent of the adolescents perceived their weight category inaccurately when compared to their actual weight and height. One-third of those who were thin, one-half of those who were normal weight, and two-thirds of those who were heavy had been exercising during the past six months to control or lose weight. Six percent of the thin, 41% of the normal weight, and 56% of the heavy students had dieted within the past six months to control or lose weight. The leading sources of weight control information were television, family, friends, and magazines. Teachers were identified as sources of information by less than 10% of the students. Mother, family, and friends were identified as those most helpful in adolescents' attempts to lose weight. Significant chi-square differences were found between weight locus of control orientations and actual and perceived weight categories. Finally, a multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze adolescents' perceptions of weighing what they do. Eat too much vs too little and exercise too much vs too little were the two reasons identified that were statistically significant. The information obtained from this study may be useful in designing and implementing weight control and nutritional programs for adolescents. For many of the adolescents, their perceptions were different from reality.Received M.S. from University of Toledo. Research interests include behavioral medicine.Profsssor of health education. Received Ph.D. from Western Michigan university. Research interests include behavioral medicine.Received M.A. from Oregon State University. Research interests include environmental health.Received Ph.D. from University of Toledo. Research interests include behavioral medicine.     

Perception and experience of types of social stress and self-image among adolescents

Eighty-four 16–18-year-old male and female volunteers were sampled to test the relationship of ratings and experience of four types of social stressors (developmental transitions, induced transitions, daily hassles, and circumscribed events). Also the relationship of self-image as measured by the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire to each type of stressor was studied. Contrary to previous research, we did not find correlations between ratings and experience, and observed minimal gender differences in ratings, experience levels, and psychopathology. Several differences in impact were found when stressor types were differentiated. Apparently, developmental transitions are least stressful for adolescents and daily hassles are most influential on their self-image. Gender differences were noted in the perceived change required by types of stressors and the manner in which stressors impacted on self-image. These results suggest that it is important to distinguish type of Stressors by type of adjustment process required, and that previously reported gender differences are less a matter of global differences or affects of specific Stressors than a matter of variations in perceived adjustment required and aspect of functioning impacted.Based on a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., August 26, 1986. This work was conducted in part while the senior author was a Clinical Research Training Fellow in Adolescence (funded by T32 MH 14668) at the Institute for Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Research and Training, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in a program also sponsored by the Departments of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry, University of Chicago, and the Adolescent Programs of the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute. Support was also provided by an award from the DePaul University Council.Received Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Tennessee. Current research interests are prevention of delinquency, family systems theory, and adolescent development.Current research interest is obesity in children.Current research interests are family functioning assessment and delinquency.     

Decade differences in rural adolescents' views of life possibilities

In a small-town high school ninth-graders were administered the same research instrument in 1967 and 1979. They listed events they thought would happen to them in the future, occupations, free-time activities, and people known, and answered questions related to perceptions of autonomy and family decision making. Except for the time span of future events, which remained between four and five years ahead, the later group showed many significant increases in cognitive possibilities, especially for occupations and free-time activities. Boys in 1979 perceived less family cohesiveness and girls more autonomy than their 1967 counterparts. Content analyses showed expansion of the girls' possibilities into formerly male-stereotyped occupations and an increase in perceptions of sexual and possibly antisocial activities, particularly among boys.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Main research interests are cross-cultural psychology, personality assessment, and community psychology.Main interest is the development of theory and research about human possibility and choice. Received her Ph.D. from University of Minnesota.Research interests are developmental and cross-cultural psychology. Received her Ph.D. from Latrobe University.     

A comparison of the self-image of talented teenagers with a normal adolescent population

The self-image of a group of 177 adolescents talented in one of five areas — mathematics, science, music, athletics, and art — was compared to that of a normal group of teenagers, using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents (OSIQ). In addition, correlations between the talented OSIQ scores and instructor ratings of engagement and aptitude in the talent area was obtained. The findings indicate that talented adolescents educated in a normal high school setting evidence patterns of self-image and esteem very similar to their more average peers. The talented teenagers, however, also report considerable uncertainty involving issues of sexual and social competence. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for later patterns of talent development.This study is part of a longitudinal study of talented adolescents supported in full by a grant from the Spencer Foundation.Research interests include adolescent self-concept and the psychology of challenging experience.Research interests include the psychology of adolescence and the study of optimal experience, creativity, and intrinsic motivation.     

Parental marital status and adolescents' optimism about their future

This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey of a representative random sample of all the schooled French-speaking adolescents of Montreal (N=4539). The sample included adolescents from legally intact homes, separated or divorced homes, and homes in which a parent was deceased. Three indicators of future success were included; adolescents from both types of broken families were less optimistic on all three dimensions than were adolescents from intact families. These results are discussed within a socioeconomic framework.This project was sponsored by grant 605-1356-42 from the National Health Research and Development Program, Canada Ministry of Health and Welfare, 1976–1978, and by a research grant from York University, 1981.Received M.D. from Université de Montréal and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Main research interest are in pedopsychiatry and family life.Received Ph.D. from Cornell University. Main research interests are in social psychiatry and marital dissolution.     

A self-image questionnaire for young adolescents (SIQYA): Reliability and validity studies

This article describes a questionnaire measure of self-image designed for young adolescents. It represents a downward extension of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire and utilizes nine scales from that instrument: Emotional Tone, Impulse Control, Body Image, Peer Relationships, Family Relationships, Mastery and Coping, Vocational/Educational Goals, Psychopathology, and Superior Adjustment. This 98-item questionnaire elicits responses on a 6-point Likert-type scale. The alpha coefficients for each scale are high, indicating a high degree of internal consistency among the items. The validity of this instrument is examined through factor analyses and through the association of these scales with other measures of self-image. The results suggest that this questionnaire provides a useful way to assess self-image among young adolescents.This research was supported by Grant MH 30252/38142 to Anne Petersen.Received Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1973. Research interest is biopsychosocial development in adolescence, with a focus on sex differences.Research interests are vocational development and contextual influences on development in early adolescence.Research interests are the influences of adolescent and parent development on family relationships.Received M.D. from the University of Chicago. Research interests are the psychology and psychopathology of adolescents.Current research interests are social cognition and peer relationships during early adolescence.     

Gender and developmental differences in adolescents' conceptions of moral reasoning

Eighth graders, 11th graders, and college sophomores wrote open-ended essays that characterized their own approaches to moral reasoning. Their essays were scored for the presence of various themes. Students also responded to three dilemmas from the Defining Issues Test (Rest, 1979). Students then rated their own use of justice and care orientations in moral reasoning, using a previously developed instrument (Ford and Lowery, 1986; Lyons, 1983). Characterizations of moral reasoning became more multifaceted and thorough with grade, and correlated with many traditional measures of moral reasoning. Males and females showed some, but relatively few, differences in characterizing their own moral reasoning, although females tended to respond more thoroughly to the open-ended task. Gender differences, when they occurred, were mostly found on measures that assessed so-called feminine issues or concerns, but not on traditional measures of moral reasoning. Characterizations of moral reasoning clustered into five dimensions, raising questions about the utility of the constructs of justice and care orientations.The first and third authors received financial support from a Ford-Mellon grant made to Carleton College. Results of this study were presented at the 1990 meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence.Received Ph.D. in Psychology and M.S.E. in Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, and has research interests in the development of reasoning skills, decision making, and conceptual development.Received Ph.D. in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has research interests in adolescent development and adolescent psychopathology.Received B.A. in Psychology from Carleton College in 1990. Has interests in adolescence and chemical dependence.