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The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether adolescence is a period of disturbance for the child's self-image and, if so, at what age of adolescence and under what social conditions the disturbance is greatest. Several dimensions of the self-image were measured among 1,917 urban school children in grades three through twelve. Compared to children in the eight to eleven age group, the early adolescents, particularly those between twelve and thirteen, were shown to exhibit heightened self-consciousness, greater instability of the self-image, slightly lower self-esteem, and a less favorable view of the opinions held of them by significant others. Evidence is presented suggesting that the child's environment may have a stronger effect than his age in producing such changes. Children who had entered junior high school appeared more disturbed along these lines than their age-peers still in elementary school.
Simmons et al. (Mon,) studied this question.