The Gap of Self-States and Its Association to an Individual‟s Interaction and Emotional Bond to their Significant Relationships: A Correlational Study about Filipino Youth‟s Self-Discrepancy and Their Attachment Style

A youth is expected to experience difficulties due to the opposing desire to be free while still remaining dependent to family and other significant individuals in their lives. Filipino youth are known as being family-oriented and being submissive which is one of the factors that pounds the importance of what people around them utters. Thus, creating a gap or discrepancy between what they truly want and what other people expect them to do. When these internal battles began, significant external aspects such as social interaction can be compromised. These occurrences can be elucidated by using the two frameworks Self-Discrepancy Theory and Attachment Style. In this study, correlational research design and survey method were employed to 384 Filipino Youth from Makati whom are selected through convenience sampling. Results of the study showed that the respondents have positive image of themselves. Also, a big majority of the respondents were discerned to have high discrepancies between their self-states. In this study, it was also seen that the respondents were dismissive and were characterized to be independent, self-reliant, and gave low importance to relationships. Finally, findings of this study revealed a weak positive correlation between secure attachment style towards the self- discrepancy of the respondents while weak negative correlation was found between the rest of the attachment styles towards the discrepancy among their self-states. With this, the researchers recommended stabilizing internal discrepancies and strengthening significant relationships as the two were seen as big factors in respondents’ social interaction and self-esteem.

Keywords – Actual-Self, Attachment Style, Ideal-Self, Ought-Self, Self-Discrepancy