The gender self-concept profiles of 128 adolescents (107 males) whose persistent behaviour problems led to suspension from school were investigated. Establishing the students' percentile ratings in the 11 subscales of the Self-Description Questionnaire overcame previous methodological weaknesses. For boys and girls Physical Appearance, Opposite-sex Relationships, and Honesty and Trustworthiness were in the average range, but Parent Relationships, General Self, and General School self-concepts were low. Only girls were low for Same-sex Relationships and Emotional Stability. The profiles suggest that boys' antisocial behaviours are associated with striving for a masculine self-image, but girls' antisocial behaviours are associated with greater social marginalisation. The issues of multi-focused interventions, prosocial role models, the particular needs of girls, and the relationship between self-control, self-enhancement, and reputation enhancement theories are discussed.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Specialist Studies in Education
Research Field:	Special Education and Disability
Objective Division:	Education and Training
Objective Group:	Learner and Learning
Objective Field:	Learner Development
UTAS Author:	Hay, I (Professor Ian Hay)
ID Code:	61680
Year Published:	2000
Web of Science® Times Cited:	31
Deposited By:	Education
Deposited On:	2010-03-04
Last Modified:	2010-05-03
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