Abstract

• The main purpose of this study is to investigate contingent self-worth and inferiority complex of Education College students in Mandalay Region. Quantitative method and descriptive research design were used in this study. As the participants for this study, 1000 students (481 males and 519 females) from Education Colleges in Mandalay Region were selected by using simple random sampling technique. As research instruments, Contingencies of Self-worth Scale (α=0.787) developed by Crocker, Luhtanen, Copper, and Bouvrette (2003) and Inferiority Complex Scale (α=0.944) developed by Mitrovic (1998) were used. According to the results, Education College students had high contingent self-worth (CSW). Females’ self-worth based more on CSW domains except approval from others and appearance CSWs in comparing by gender. First year students’ self-worth was more dependent on CSW domains compared to second year students’ self-worth. Moreover, College 1 students’ self-worth based more on approval from others and appearance domains whereas College 2 students’ self-worth based more on competition, family love and religious faith domains. In addition, the findings showed that most of the students felt no inferiority complex. Males felt more inferiority complex than females. Students in College 1 were likely to feel inferiority complex than those in College 2. Students with high extrinsic CSW felt more inferiority complex than those with low extrinsic CSW. However, there were no significant differences in inferiority complex among groups by grade, intrinsic CSW level, family structure, number of siblings and birth order. Correlation matrix showed that contingent self-worth was positively correlated with inferiority complex (r= .149). Then generally extrinsic CSW domains (especially approval from others and appearance domains) were stronger positively correlated with inferiority complex, than other CSW domains.