Study Wessman et al. (1960): study US 1957
- Public
- Female college students, followed 6 weeks, Radcliffe, USA, 1957
- Sample
- Respondents
- N = 14
- Non Response
- 44% dropouts
- Assessment
-
Multiple assesment methods
Mood diary completed daily during 6 weeks and various tests
Correlate
- Authors's Label
- Self-esteem (real-ideal congruency)
- Our Classification
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- Operationalization
- Correlation between self and ideal des- criptions, as assessed by a 45-item Q sort, filled out both in very elated and in very depressed moods, for both self-concept ('the most accurate pictu- re of yourself as you really believe you are now') and ideal-concept ('the picture of yourself as the kind of per- son you have hoped to become or have fancied yourself to be').
Observed Relation with Happiness
For congruency in depression: rs = -.50 (05)
Both the happier and unhappier girls experience discrepancies between real-self and ideal-self in depression.
In elation the unhappier girls feel no consistent divergence from their ideals (primarily concern- ing intellectual ambitions), while the happier girls continue to feel areas of discontent (pri- marily concerning social and emotional quali- ties).