STEADY DATING AND SELF-ESTEEM IN HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

The relationship between self-esteem and the practice of going steady among high school students was investigated. Information was gathered about both current and past dating practices of 121 sophomores and the respondents' self-esteem was assessed with the Rosenberg scale. Results indicated that going steady among high school sophomores was associated with lower self-esteem. For girls, the difference in self-esteem between those who were going steady and those who were not was greatest among those who had gone steady in the past. Girls with the highest self-esteem were those who had gone steady in the past and were no longer doing so, while the lowest self-esteem scores were held by girls who had gone steady in the past and were still going steady. For boys, however, the difference in self-esteem between those who were going steady and those who were not was unrelated to their past dating practices. Possible Interpretations of this unexpected, but highly significant, interaction were suggested.