engleski

Personal Control of Development in Relation with Self-Esteem and Some Erikson's Components of Personality

Background: The present study is based on broader model “ Self-regulation of development across transitional periods of life” (Lacković- Grgin, K., Penezić Z. – in press). Developmental self-regulation involves efforts by the individual to influence the actual development and adapt himself psychologically to the demands of context in which he lives. People try to decrease or avoid the discrepancy between the desired and attained in three different ways. The first is direct action (cognitive or behavioral) called primary control. Primary control is expressed in the process of which the external world is brought to harmony with personal goals and desires. The second way is rescaling of goals and aspirations in terms of their adjustment to the new circumstances. This is a specific “ agreement” with the world or secondary control. Secondary control is expressed in the selection of goals, changes the standards of self-evaluation and social comparisons. When neither primary nor secondary control can stabilize the self and life satisfaction, the individual may make use of a third kind of self-regulation. Lacković-Grgin, Grgin, Penezić, Sorić (2001) suggest the term tertiary control. It is the reinterpretation of relevant information, the use of rationalization, fantasizing, and avoidance. In contrast with neurotic defenses, these are mature defense mechanisms, which can be adaptive. Aims: Kuiper (1988) and Campbell (1990) have suggested that low self-esteem individuals have less stable self-concept than those high in self-esteem. So it can be assumed that low and high self-esteem individuals would differ in using different self-regulation strategies as well as they would differ in some Erikson’ s components of personality. A main goal of this study was to explore changes, effects and relations of observed variables in two phases of measurement. Methods: Sample in first phases of measurement consisted of 299 participants, divided in four age groups (both sexes): adolescents, younger adults, middle-aged adults and the elderly adults ; second phases included 269 participants. Procedure was short-term longitudinal study in which under a larger study these scales were applied: The Rosenberg self – esteem scale (e.g., Lacković-Grgin, Deković, Milosavljević, Sorić, Opačić, 1996), Erikson scale (Ochse and Plug, 1986) including Identity, Intimacy and Generativity subscales, Integrity Scale as a subscale of MPD (Measures of Psychosocial Development) (Hawley, 1988 ; according to Helm 2000), Questionnaire for measurement of personal control of development (Lacković-Grgin, Grgin, Penezić, Sorić, 2000) which includes three subscales (primary, secondary and tertiary control). Results / Theoretical advancements: In every aged group participants were divided into two groups regarding results of mean on The Rosenberg self-esteem scale from the first phase of measurement: low level self-esteem and high level self-esteem group in every age group. Results indicated that some changes and relations in self-esteem as well as in some Erikson’ s components of personality exist as well as the effect of low and high self-esteem on observed variables. Conclusions: In short longitudinal study based on heuristic model of Self-regulation of development, it is found that self-esteem in first phase of measurement have moderator role in relations with observed variables. These results are preliminary in explanation of the proposed model.

Self-esteem; Personal Control of Development; Erikson's Components of Personality

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