Jonge kinderen, zelfbeeldinstabiliteit en internaliserend probleemgedrag

Abstract

Every person has an idea about who he or she is. About the self. In this research the self of very young children is looked at. Young children are children aged four to eight. This research looks at the stability of self esteem. The questions answered with this study are: (1) Do younger children have a more instable self esteem; (2) If there is instability, does this resolve with age? (3) Is there, at every age, a link between instability and internalizing problem behaviour? The research uses the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) of Goodman (1997), a Repertory Grid and a repeated measurement of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA) of Harter en Pike (1984). The results suggest that the youngest children (4 years) are less stable in their self evaluations then the older children. No relationship is found between instability in the self-evaluation and internalising problem behaviour.