Relationships between Self-Concept Measures and Social Network Characteristics for Black Adolescents

Abstract

This study explores the relationship among social network structure and support characteristics and between these network characteristics and several self-concept dimensions for 343 middle-income black adolescents. Relationships between the family and the friend portions of the network are also examined. Each adolescent completed the 1 1/2 hour Social Network Record which uses graphic and questionnaire stimulus materials to allow respondents to describe how their social relations are organized and function to provide emotional and material support. Network scales are related to factor scores of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, to the Ziller nonverbal "identification with others" tasks and to three semantic differential scales designed to assess the adolescents' perception of how parents, male friends and female friends "see" them. Network size, frequency of contact with members and the average length of time members have been known are highly related while density is unrelated to any other structural score. The relationship between the proximity of family members and frequency of contact with them is very high and positive although this is not the case for the analogous friend measures. While network structure measures are more related to "how others see me" self-judgments and to a measure of social affiliation, the support scales are more related to overall self-esteem. The usefulness of a social network analysis for understanding the social interaction basis of the self-concept during adolescence is discussed.