Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Date of Submission

2025-07-03

Advisor

Hajrah Rahman, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

self-presentation, self-esteem, social anxiety, university students, mental health

Abstract

This research explores how self-presentation, the act of managing how one appears to others, affects self-esteem and social anxiety among university students in Karachi. As students in this age group are constantly navigating social, academic, and digital spaces, their mental health is often influenced by how they manage their public image. The study focuses on students aged 18 to 25 from different universities in Karachi.

Using a quantitative approach, the study involved an online survey with three standardized psychological scales, one each, for self-presentation, self-esteem, and social anxiety. Data was collected from 100 participants. The results were analyzed using Pearson correlation to identify the relationships between these three variables.

The findings showed that students who engage more in self-presentation tend to have lower self-esteem and lower social anxiety. These results were interpreted in light of cultural expectations, the rise of social media, and the pressure to appear successful. The study contributes to growing research on student mental health in Pakistan and highlights the importance of understanding how external image management can affect young people’s inner psychological well-being.

Pages

vi,65

Download

The full text of this document is only accessible to authorized users.

Share

COinS