Antecedents and Consequences of Self-Respect in Norwegian Youth: A Correlational Study Among High School Students in Norway

Abstract

Self-respect, as defined by Honneth (1996), is viewing oneself as a person with equal rights as others. However, this definition of self-respect has received limited attention in psychological research. Emerging research on this topic suggests that repeatedly experiencing discrimination can undermine self-respect. Thus, those who have faced gender discrimination may struggle to internalize high levels of self-respect. While a higher level of self-respect is linked to stronger endorsement of human rights and greater assertiveness. Since, self-respect involves perceiving oneself as equals to others, it may also be associated with lower levels of negative attitudes towards other groups (e.g., sexism). The present study therefore aimed to investigate if previous experiences of gender discrimination are related to self-respect, and if self-respect relates to sexist attitudes among Norwegian adolescents. To investigate this, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Norwegian high schools. Our sample consisted of 203 boys (Mage = 17.03, SD = 0.29) and 247 girls (Mage = 17.07, SD = 0.35). The result show that women reported experiencing more past gender discrimination than men, and this discrimination mediated the relationship between gender and self-respect. However, self-respect was not related to sexism. Instead, gender itself was the strongest predictor of sexist attitudes, with men endorsing sexism more than women. These findings will be discussed in light of how reducing discriminatory experiences may contribute to the development and maintenance of self-respect.

Key Words: gender discrimination, self-respect, ambivalent sexism