Differentiated Personality Structuring in Institutionalized and Non-Institutionalized Teenagers – A Study of Two Groups from Bucharest –
Journal Title: Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy - Year 2014, Vol 17, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction: The authors tried to understand whether there is a significant difference between the institutionalized and non-institutionalized teenagers, in terms of self-esteem; whether the institutionalized ones have positive, negative or average self-esteem. We considered that self-esteem is linked to neuroticism, due to the individuals’ background. Objectives: We studied institutionalized teenagers of both genders, aged 16-18 (from the „Life and Light” Orphanage) and non-institutionalized youngsters from „Mircea Vulcanescu” High-School. Our main objective was to study the values of self-esteem, neuroticism and other dimensions of personality for the groups mentioned above. Methods: We used three psychometric instruments: Berger, Eysenck and Berkeley tests. Self-acceptance, neuroticism and self-esteem were measured, on the five dimensions of personality. Results: When processing the collected data, it became obvious that there were significant differences between the two groups concerning self-esteem, neuroticism and other dimensions of personality: institutionalized teenagers have the lowest level for three of these scales. There is a strong connection between self-esteem and neuroticism in the institutionalized teenagers, negatively correlated at a 0.50 level and we had a positive correlation of 0.37 in those non-institutionalized. Moreover, institutionalized teenagers present lower levels of self-acceptance, high levels of neuroticism and low self-esteem for work, emotional and intellectual styles. Conclusions: Our interventions on the level of counseling and short psychotherapy sustain and help us diminish the negative self-image shown by orphans and they also help ease the teenagers’ adjustment due to a supportive background (benefitting from the help of the social workers and maternal assistants). The results of our study showed that, as far as the measured characteristics are concerned, the institutionalized adolescents do not form a single population, but they represent distinct populations.
Authors and Affiliations
Ioana A. Răducanu, Ruxandra Rășcanu, Ana-Maria M. Rugescu
Keywords
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