본 연구는 아동의 부적응 증상에 영향을 주는 변인으로 자아분화와 만성불안을 강조해 온 Bowen의 이론에 기반을 두고 아동의 자아분화가 불안과 또래관계에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 연구 대상은 P시의 6개 초등학교 5, 6학년 남학생 264명, 여학생 272명 총536명이었다. 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 아동의 성별에 따른 자아분화는 유의미한 차이가 있었으며, 학년에 따른 자아분화는 유의미한 차이가 없었다. 둘째, 아동의 자아분화는 특성불안, 상태불안과 높은 부적인 상관이 있었으며, 또래친밀감과 또래개별화와도 유의미한 상관이 있었다. 셋째, 자아분화가 특성불안에 미치는 영향은 자아분화 합계가 전체변량 중 40%로 가장 높게 나타났고, 그 다음으로 자아분화의 하위요인인 타인 과 융합, 나-위치가 부가적이었다. 또한 자아분화가 상태불안에 미치는 영향은 자아분화 합계가 전체변량 중 16%이고, 자아분화의 하위요인인 타인과 융합은 3%의 설명력을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 넷째, 자아분화가 또래친밀감을 설명하는 변량은 전체변량의 17%였으며, 이 중 자아분화의 하위요 인인 정서적 단절이 10%, 타인과의 융합이 4%, 나-위치가 3%의 설명력을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 또 한 자아분화가 또래융합개별화를 설명하는 변량은 전체변량의 11%였으며, 이 중 자아분화 합계가 10%, 자아분화의 하위요인인 나-위치는 1%의 설명력을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 아동의 자아 분화는 불안에 미치는 영향이 크며 또래관계에도 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

This research is purported to emphasize the need for improving self-differentiation, prevent problem behaviors and other symptoms, and provide basic data for parents` education through understanding the impacts of children`s self-differentiation on anxiety and peer relationship. The research was conducted on 264 male and 272 female students (total of 536 students), who are in 5th and 6th grade from 6 elementary schools in Busan Metropolitan City. The research ran preliminary tests based on the translated Differentiation of Self Inventory ("DSI" hereinafter) as first developed by Skowron and Firedlander in 1998 and further amended and complemented in 2003 to measure the level of children`s self-differentiation, and modified the questions suitable for the elementary school students. Anxiety was measured by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory developed by Spielberger(1973) and translated by Soo-Chul Cho and Jinsook Choi (1989). Also, sub-categories of Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire ("PAFS") in peer familarity and peer assimilation-individuation category were used to measure the peer relationships. The results were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression and etc. The research findings are as follow. First, there were significant differences in emotional responses in self-differentiation of children`s sex, and the sex made significant differences for the sum of self-differentiation. Also, there were no significant differences in self-differentiation according the children`s age. Second, there were high negative correlation between the children`s self-differentiation and trait anxiety and state anxiety, and there was statistically significant differences in peer familarity and peer individuation. Accordingly, higher level of children`s self-differentiation leads to lower anxiety and more familiar and individual relationship with peers. Third, the impact of self-differentiation on trait anxiety were the highest among all variables, marking 40%, followed by assimilation with others and me-Location. Also, the impact of self-differentiation on state anxiety accounted for 16% of all variables, while assimilation with others 3%. Forth, as for peer familarity, self-differentiation accounted for 17% of all variables, 10% of which was emotional cutoff, 4% was assimilation with others, and 3% was me-Location. In addition, self-differentiation explains 11% of all variables in terms of peer assimilation-individuation, 10% of which was self-differentiation and 1% was me-Location.