The Relationship Between Need for Approval and Self-concept Clarity among Young Adults

Laiba Khan; Annie Khanam Singh

The Relationship Between Need for Approval and Self-concept Clarity among Young Adults

Author(s)	Ms. Laiba Khan, Dr. Annie Khanam Singh
Country	India
Abstract	The development of a clear and stable sense of self is a central psychological task during young adulthood. At the same time, individuals in this developmental stage often experience heightened sensitivity to social evaluation and external validation. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between Need for Approval and Self-Concept Clarity among young adults aged 18–30 years. Need for approval refers to the tendency to seek positive evaluation and avoid negative judgment from others, whereas self-concept clarity refers to the extent to which an individual’s beliefs about themselves are clearly defined, internally consistent, and stable over time. A quantitative correlational research design was employed for the study. Data were collected from 120 young adult participants using standardized self-report measures, including the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) to assess need for approval and the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) to measure clarity of self-beliefs. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between need for approval and self-concept clarity (r = -0.625, p < .001), indicating that individuals with higher approval-seeking tendencies tend to have lower levels of self-concept clarity. Regression analysis further showed that need for approval significantly predicts self-concept clarity, accounting for 39.1% of the variance. The findings suggest that excessive reliance on external validation may interfere with the development of a clear and stable sense of identity. The study highlights the importance of fostering self-awareness and internal confidence among young adults in order to support healthier identity development.
Keywords	Need for Approval, Self-Concept Clarity, Young Adults, External Validation, Identity Development, Social Evaluation, Psychological Well-being
Field	Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-04

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The Relationship Between Need for Approval and Self-concept Clarity among Young Adults

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