Self-Image in Adolescence: Coping with Change

摘要

The effects of adolescence upon the child's self-image and upon his/her behavior and coping were studied. Children's environmental transitions were the focus of attention. A cohort of 924 sixth graders were followed into early adolescence in seventh grade in different types of school systems. The findings lend some support and some repudiation to the hypothesis that discontinuous environmental change is stressful. For the K-8 cohort, the change into senior high school was stressful only for academic performance and for feelings of anonymity. For other variables these students continued to show considerable improvement despite change of schools. For the K-6, junior high, senior high cohort, change appeared more generally negative.