CHANGE, RELIABILITY, AND STABILITY IN SELF-PERCEPTIONS IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE - A 4-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Changes in self-perceptions of fitness, appearance, and self-esteem am ong adolescents were assessed in a 4-year follow-up study. Both the ch anges in the mean levels across time (profile analysis), and the chang es in the reliability and stability of individual differences (i.e. co variance stability as test-retest correlations) were examined. The sub jects (64 boys, 49 girls) were 11 years old at the first annual measur ement. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, as well as self-assessment questionnaires specifically designed for t his study to assess Perceived Fitness and Perceived Appearance. MANOVA - and Simplex-models were used in the analysis. Our results among the girls were in accordance with the gradual consolidation hypothesis, so that self-perceptions become more fixed with increasing age. The boys showed highly stable self-perceptions throughout the follow-up, which may indicate the early emergence of a fixed self-concept. Self-esteem increased with age but changes in perceived fitness were small over t ime. The decrease in perceived appearance found among the girls but no t among the boys was in accordance with the gender intensification hyp othesis.