Study of Self-Confidence as a Correlate of Peer-Relationship among Adolescents

Anindividual's sense of competence or skill and perceived capability to deal effectively with various situations is termed as self-confidence. Whereas, peer, or friend, relationships are uniquely voluntary relationships, and if personal benefits are distributed, reciprocity is expected, rules are monitored and revised as necessary, and commitment grows over time. Both self-confidence and satisfactory peer relationships are quite necessary for the adolescents in the present scenario. The deficiency in the interpersonal realm which further affects the self-confidence of an individual has could result into loneliness, and thereby individual's academic performance declines. This decline in academic performance further hampers their skills (personal/social) and abilities which are necessary for decision making about selecting a profession/professional course. Therefore, it was considered worthwhile to conduct a study on adolescents to investigate relationship among self-confidence, peer-relations, and loneliness. Standardized scales were administered on a sample of N=111, of high school students (both males and females; mean age=14.39 years) from a Kendriya Vidyalaya located in Ambala Cantt for which incidental sampling was done. Correlational design was postulated for the present study and the results revealed that self-confidence in various aspects at adolescent age such as academic performance, talking in public, social participation, are positively inter-related and also with peer relationships (i.e., relationships with friends and social groups). Whereas, adolescents those who are experiencing dissatisfactory friendship do not have healthy peer-relationship at all. In sum, self-confidence and peer-relationships plays important role towards the growth of satisfactory relationships among adolescents, thereby loneliness could be avoided or one can overcome from such life threatening experiences.