Theoretical underpinnings of multidimensional adolescent self-concepts and mental health

This paper reviews and extends a study by Marsh, Parada and Ayotte (2003), which compared the usefulness of multidimensional and unidimensional perspectives on self-concept in mental health research. In particular, this paper presents a theoretical analysis of the multidimensional structure of self-concept in relation to adolescent mental health. Previously mental health research and practice has been based on unidimensional measures of self-concept, but this paper will expand on the theoretical constructs which underlie the evidence illustrating that mental health factors and self-concept factors co-vary in distinctive and predictable patterns. One key concern of the present analysis is how multiple contrasting dimensions of self-concept become integrated into a coherent overall sense of self. The question of how we might reconcile the concept of 'integration' with a multidimensional perspective on the structure of self is broached. It is argued that the use of theory on both multidimensionality and integration might enhance our understanding of the relationship between self-concept and mental health.