Effectiveness of Self-Enhancement Training on Self-Esteem, Self-Concept, and Interpersonal Relationships among Adolescents

Sadhana Kallat S, Harshini Sabarish and Indhumathi R Women’s Christian College, Chennai Adolescence is the transitional phase between childhood and adulthood. Although the richest stage of life, due to the numerous positive and negative features of regular adolescent development, it has also been referred to as an emotional roller coaster. Therefore, fostering positive mental health development in young adolescents is a primary concern worldwide. According to Erikson’s view, adolescence is centered around exploration (Erikson, 1959). Consequently, this adolescent identity exploration is linked to several factors, such as fluctuations in ego strength, mood swings, and rebelliousness (Kidwell, 1995). The adolescent self in this explorative transition is also extremely vulnerable. Thus, the shaping and formation of their identity and roles are also reflected in the commitments they make, their sense of self, and their social relationships (Cherry, 2022). In this regard, the objective of this study is to investigate the Self-worth, Self-concept, Self-esteem, and the quality of the interpersonal relationships of young adolescents before and after a 2-day Self-enhancement training, examine the disparities in scores between the two sets of data, and review the effects of the training. The sample size for this study was 35 young adolescents between 12-14 years from schools in Chennai. Data were collected through questionnaires using google forms after obtaining consent from parents. The Friendship Quality Scale (Bukowski et al., 1994), Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and Adolescents’ Selfconcept Short Scale (Veiga, 2016) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Repeated measures t-test is proposed for data analysis. The modules developed for the Self-enhancement training can be inculcated in the school curriculum to improve adolescent mental health. Keywords: young adolescents, self-esteem, self-concept, interpersonal relationships, pre-post study