Girls’ Relationship Authenticity and Self-Esteem Across Adolescence

Lucia MerinoLifespan Development

Spring 2011

Be content to seem what you really are -Marcus Aurelius

2008 Study conducted by:Emily A. Impett (UC-Berkeley)Lynn Sorsoli (SFSU)Deborah Schooler (UP)Deborah L. Tolman (SFSU)James M. Henson (ODU)

Hypothesis:Relationship authenticity is importantto the development andmaintenance of self-esteem over the course of adolescence.

Relationship Authenticity

• The congruence between what a girl thinks and feels and what she says and does in relational contexts.The authors

investigated the role of relationship authenticity in promoting girls’ self-esteem over the course of adolescence.

Why is important to be able to express one’s true thoughts and feelings in a relationship?

• Relationship authenticity is positively associated with self-esteem and negatively associated with depression.

• Genuine relatedness with others brings clarity, reality and authenticity to the self.

The study

• Expectation: Girls who are higher in relationship authenticity in early adolescence would experience greater increases in self-esteem than girls who are lower in relationship authenticity.

• Alternative: having high self-esteem in early adolescence may promote the development of authenticity over the course of adolescence

Covariates

• Race/Ethnicity• Socio-economic status• Pubertal timing• Educational

achievement• Religiosity• Body Satisfaction

Participants and Procedure5-year, three wave longitudinal study of 183 adolescent girls

8th grade ~13.3 y/o10th grade ~15.7 y/o12th grade ~17.4 y/o

91 (50%) all three waves45 (24%) two waves47 (26%) one wave

• White 115 63%• Latina 49 27%• AA 6 3%• BP 4 2%• API 5 3%• NA 2 1%• None 2 1%

• Latent Growth Curve Modeling (LGM)

• The inauthentic Self in Relationship subscale of the Adolescent Femininity Ideology Scale (AFIS).

• The 10-item Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.

• Race, socioeconomics, religiosity, educational achievement, pubertal timing, and body satisfaction.

RESULTS

Results

• Authenticity was the only factor predicting increases of self-esteem through adolescence.

• Girls with highest levels of authenticity in 8th grade experienced the greatest gains of self-esteem over adolescent development.

• Body satisfaction: was + rltd to higher self-esteem and authenticity in 8th grade. But, didn’t predict changes in either thru adolescence

• Girls with more educated mothers gained in authenticity thru adolescence years.

Results (Cont.)

• Religiosity• Educational achievement• Race/ethnicity

Did not affect self-esteem or authenticity.

The Alternative Hypothesis

• The results to the alternative hypothesis that high self-esteem may promote authenticity in relationships were negative.

• Neither baseline authenticity nor baseline self-esteem predicted change in authenticity. This suggests that changes in authenticity over grades 8 through 12 are not necessarily dependent on baseline authenticity or self-esteem.

In conclusion

• Findings from this study provide support for claims made by many feminists theorists and qualitative researchers that, for girls and women in particular, self-esteem rests on the ability to bring oneself fully and authentically into valued relationships with others.