The current study seeks to examine the link between self-perceived popularity as a predictor variable for self-concept in college students. Most research involving this relationship has been conducted on children and adolescents (Boivin & Begin, 1989; Keefe & Berndt, 1996). Studies involving college students mostly have explored the role of social media on their life satisfaction (Valenzuela, Park, & Kee, 2009) or the influence of popularity on risky behaviors (Phua, 2011). Respondents rated their subjective social status using the Scale of Subjective Status (Goodman et al., 2001). The Self-Perception Profile for College Students (Neenman & Harter, 2012) was used to assess students’ self-concept using the social acceptance, close friendships, and global self-worth subscales. It was hypothesized that students who indicate a low social status would also report a more negative self-concept. A Pearson’s correlation revealed that there were no significant relationships between the subscales and the social status measure (social acceptance r = .219; close friendships r = .268; global self-worth r = .244, p > 0.1). Only social acceptance and close friendships (r = .416, p < .01) and close friendships and global self-worth (r = .486, p < .01) yielded significant relationships. Future directions for research regarding popularity and self-concept could be assessed among historically black colleges and university (HBCU) students focusing on gender and classification.
