The Effects on Self-Consciousness of Junior High School Students in Japan Depending on the Fact That They Have Boyfriend/Girlfriend or Not

The purpose of this study is to make clear the significance of a boyfriend or girlfriend for junior high school students in Japan. For this purpose, I firstly investigated the determining factors of having a boyfriend/girlfriend, and then clarified the effects of the fact that one has a boyfriend/girlfriend on their self-consciousness. As a result of this analyses, I got following two findings. First, there are various factors which determine whether junior high school students have a boyfriend/girlfriend or not, and the factors differ according to each student's gender. Furthermore, the levels of academic accomplishment of the school also make a difference. Second, when I analyze the effects of that fact on their self-consciousness, it is necessary to consider not only the very thing that one has a boyfriend/girlfriend or not, but also if she or he is likely to have a boyfriend/girlfriend. This analysis suggests that a success in love for girls in junior high has a more complex meaning compared with that for boys.