Impact of Self-Esteem, Hope, Emotional Maturity and School Adjustment of Banjara Adolescents

Adolescence is the most vulnerable age for development when it demands intensive readjustment to family, school, and social life from the individual. The Banjara nomadic community has been leading a segregated life away from the mainstream. So the present comparative study has been undertaken to explore the difference between the Banjara and Non-Banjara adolescents in their self-esteem, hope, emotional maturity and adjustment. The study also examines the association between self-esteem, hope, emotional maturity and the adjustment of the adolescents in general and Banjara adolescents in particular. The sample comprised 100 (40 Banjara & 60 Non-Banjara) adolescents in the age group of 14to 17 years from the Chamanaal area of Yadgir district, North Karnataka. The adolescents were assessed using the Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire (1965), State Hope Scale (Snyder et al, 1996), Emotional Maturity Scale (Singh & Bhargava, 1990) and Adjustment Inventory for School Students (Sinha & Singh, 1993). The data were analyzed using't' and correlation tests. The results showed that there is significant differences among the Banjara and Non-Banjara adolescents with regard to emotional maturity (on all the dimensions as well as overall) and emotional adjustment. Further, it was also observed that hope is significantly correlated with the adjustment of the Basnjara as well as Non-Banjara adolescents.