Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2002

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Virgil Sheets

Second Advisor

Elizabeth O'Laughlin

Third Advisor

Thomas J. Johnson

Abstract

Self-concept is an area of psychology that has received a large amount of attention in recent years. The idea of self-concept subsumes a number of related concepts including identity, self-esteem, and perceived self-efficacy. The clinical implications of self-concept disturbance and possible methods of altering self-concept are discussed. The current study was designed to evaluate several hypotheses about the way in which selfconcept may be changed by investigating the potential impact of Outward Bound on its individual participants. The present study examined the effect of the Outward Bound program, a wilderness educational program, on the self-concept and behavior of a group of 187 "normal" adolescents 14-15 years of age (i.e. students participating in Outward Bound specifically for reasons of adjudication). Upon their emollment in the Outward Bound program, parents of participants were contacted for written permission to participate in the study. Participants were then administered the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale both prior to beginning and following graduation from the course. Following the course, head instructors completed the Counselor Inventory for Student Behavior for each student, and six weeks after graduation from the program, parents completed the Parent Inventory for Student Behavior. Students evidenced improvement on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, a selfreport measure of self-concept. In addition, students demonstrated significant improvement on objective measures of behavior as rated by their parents and the head instructors of their Outward Bound courses. Notably, these improvements were evident for both genders regardless of enthusiasm and motive for undertaking the course.

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