THE SELF CONCEPTS OF GIRLS IN THE CONTEXT OF A DISADVANTAGING ENVIRONMENT

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Abstract
This paper sets out to examine the hypothesis that, given the context of a disadvantaging environment, the self concepts of less disadvantaged girls would be more negative than those of their more disadvantaged peers. The hypothesis was tested by comparing the self concepts of girls with different degrees of disadvantage using several different measures of disadvantage. The findings suggested that the school's strong support of the most disadvantaged girls produced a ‘Hawthorne’ effect in which these girls developed positive feelings towards themselves. The less disadvantaged girl did not respond in this way. Feeling greater relative deprivation and frustration, and receiving less support from school, she was more likely to develop a negative self image. Where the self image of the less disadvantaged girl was positive, there was strong evidence to suggest that this was linked to status achieved in an alternative prestige system that was anti establishment in nature.

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