Selfishness and SelfMattering Do I Fit In Leah

Selfishness and Self-Mattering: Do I Fit In? Leah Burke Advisors: Ellen Cohn, Ph. D. & Alexander Blandina, M. A. The University of New Hampshire INTRODUCTION • Academic performance has been a focal point for research, recent studies have looked at school belonging as a predictor 2 • Selfishness is the concern solely for personal welfare or behavior that indicates a lack of concern for the welfare of others 4 • Can be healthy (tending to own needs without hurting others) or unhealthy (little regard for the feelings of others)4 • Motivated by community identity, emotional attachment, and moral beliefs 4 • Mattering, the belief that others are aware of, rely on, and care about one’s presence, is a positive predictor of wellness in adolescents 1 • Negatively associated with alienation, loneliness, and self-consciousness 1 • Greater sense of belonging predicts academic success 2 • Social environment, family, school, and peers contribute to well-being as well as academic achievement 2 • School belonging refers to feeling socially included among friend groups and other students within the school setting 2 • Can a sense of self-mattering positively change the relation between selfishness and school belonging? HYPOTHESES Hypothesis 1: Selfishness is a negative predictor of school belonging DISCUSSION RESULTS Regression Step B SE R 2 β Initial Relation . 02 School Belonging 4. 31 . 12 Selfishness . 11 -. 36 -. 15 Predicting Mediator . 01 Self mattering 2. 26 . 05 Selfish -. 11 . 05 -. 10 Full Mediating Model . 14 School Belonging 2. 61 . 26 Selfish . 11 Self mattering -. 21. 74 -. 09 . 10 . 34 PARTICIPANTS • 397 students participated • 41. 1% males • 58. 9% females • 8 middle and 5 high schools across New Hampshire. • Race: 77. 1% • Age: M=13. 3, SD=1. 53 PROCEDURE The New Hampshire Youth Survey (NHYS), a longitudinal study focusing on the reasons for adolescents rule-violating behavior (RVB). Data presented was collected over two years • Fall of 2006 (T 1) • Spring of 2007 (T 2) • Fall of 2008 (T 3) MEASURES Selfishness T 1 M=. 988, SD=. 593, α =. 70 • 0(strongly disagree) to 3(strongly agree) Likert-like scale • Ex: “I will try to get things I want even when I know it’s causing problems” Self-Mattering T 2 M=2. 075, SD=. 595, α =. 83 • 0(strongly disagree) to 3(strongly agree) Likert-like scale • Ex: “I take a positive attitude towards myself” School Belonging T 3 M=. 4. 010, SD=. 1. 357 • 0(strongly disagree) to 6+(strongly agree) Likert-like scale • Ex: “Students accept me as me” Self-Mattering * p ≤. 05 ** p ≤. 01 *** p ≤. 001 -. 10* . 34*** R 2=. 14, F (2, 394) = 30. 71, p =. 00 School Belonging Selfishness • Self mattering also mediated the relation between selfishness and school belonging, supporting hypothesis 2 • The mediation changed the relation from negative to positive • The less selfish someone is, the more they will believe they matter to others, which will increase their chances of fitting in among peers Implications: • Schools can continue to educate students at a young age on how detrimental selfishness can be, as well as how self-mattering can positively influence their acceptance among peers • Having appropriate resources for teaching children the difference between healthy and unhealthy selfishness can also be greatly beneficial • Parents serve as the first role models a child will come across • Showing appropriate behaviors in relation to selfishness (ex: teaching them how to share) can help limit harmful selfishness in the future • Encouraging children, acknowledging feelings, and supporting interests are all examples of behaviors to increase self-mattering thoughts Hypothesis 2: Self-mattering is a positive mediator between selfishness and school belonging METHOD • The original relation between selfishness and school belonging indicated a negative prediction, supporting hypothesis 1 • Selfishness significantly negatively predicted school belonging • Self mattering predicted a positive relation of school belonging • The more a student believes they matter to others, the more they fit in among peers (school belonging) -. 09 (-. 15***) Mediating Model For more information email: lmn 243@wildcats. unh. edu Limitations and future directions: • The survey design is based on self-report • Future studies could examine the mediation’s effects on academic performance • The results produced were completely correlational which limits us from concluding causation • Potential cultural differences are not examined due to a lack of diversity within the sample • This could be addressed in future research in more diverse populations • Future research could also analyze: • Parenting styles and the effects they may have on selfishness and/or self mattering • The effects this may have on students fitting in among peers REFERENCES 1. Dubois, D. , Rucker, D. D. , & Galinsky, A. D. (2015). Social class, power, and selfishness: When and why upper and lower class individuals behave unethically. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 108, 436 -449. doi: 10. 1037/pspi 00000 2. Farrugia, D. (2002). Selfishness, greed, and counseling. Counseling And Values, 46. doi: 10. 1037/pspi 00000 3. Lam, U. F. , Chen, W. , Zhang, J. , & Liang, T. (2015). It feels good to learn where I belong: School belonging, academic emotions, and academic achievement in adolescents. School Psychology International, 36, 393 -409. doi: 10. 1177/0143034315589649 4. Raque-Bogdan, Trisha L. , Sara K. Ericson, John Jackson, Helena M. Martin, and Nicole A. Bryan. 2011. "Attachment and mental and physical health: Selfcompassion and mattering as mediators. " Journal Of Counseling Psychology 58, 272 -278.