Perceived Parental Approval and Self-Esteem in College Students

Knowledge of how a person\u27s relational self-construal, contingencies of self-worth, and attachment style effect self-esteem may help identify individuals who are vulnerable to parental expectations. The purpose of my honors thesis is to add to the growing literature on these three theories and to see if they relate to college students\u27 self-esteem coming from their parent\u27s approval or disapproval. This study will also see if the combination of something that is normally viewed at unconditional (e.g., family love and support) and something that is normally viewed at conditional (e.g., approval from generalized others) will have a positive or negative impact on the self-esteem of a college student