Features of the self-concept of adolescent students

Abstract

The article discusses features of the self-concept in adolescents. The relevance of the research is substantiated by increased social demands on an individual. In the modern world, success depends on an individual’s activity based on their understanding of self in the context of life. At the same time, the very content of education has been altered in order to create conditions for self-determination and ensure ultimate self-realization. Despite the abundance of research on the issues associated with the development of the self-concept in preschoolers, primary school children, adolescents, and youth, the author notes an insufficient number of studies on this topic in the modern population of children, as most studies date back to the early 2000s. The theoretical and methodological basis of the present research was formed by the teaching of R. B. Burns on the three-component structure of the self-concept, which includes the cognitive (main characteristics of our habitual self-perception, self-knowledge), evaluative (self-esteem, self-attitude) and behavioural components (potential behavioural reaction, self-control). These ideas are consistent with the ideas of modern researchers about the self-concept and its structure. In the article, the author cites the data of his own empirical research, the purpose of which is to identify the features of the self-concept in modern adolescents, and provides a list of diagnostic methods for each of the components. Diagnostic results for the cognitive component of the self-concept in adolescents showed that the respondents find it difficult to describe or characterize themselves and that their self-knowledge is poor. At the same time, when analyzing the results of measuring the evaluative component, the author found high levels of self-esteem and ambition, a high degree of differentiation in self-esteem, a large gap between self-esteem and the level of ambition, and a high level of self-regard. When studying the level of subjective control, it was established that adolescents generally control their behaviour. However, there is a tendency to shift responsibility for major successes and failures to external factors. The author concludes that the presence of the identified features in the self-concept of adolescents indicates the need for further research on this issue.