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Nov 2, 2022 · Self-esteem is a pervasive individual characteristic with major consequences for people's lives. Recent research demonstrated normative change and substantial individual differences in change across the lifespan, which triggered great interest in the sources of self-esteem development.
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cations on self-esteem development from 111 in 2000 to 295...
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Compare and contrast self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Apply self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy to personal experiences. Discuss how social and family influences, culture, and media influence self-perception.
- Overview
- Why Self-Esteem Is Important
- Theories of Self-Esteem
- Factors That Affect Self-Esteem
- Healthy Self-Esteem
- Low Self-Esteem
- Excessive Self-Esteem
- How to Improve Self-Esteem
Other terms often used interchangeably with self-esteem include self-worth, self-regard, and self-respect.
Self-esteem tends to be lowest in childhood and increases during adolescence, as well as adulthood, eventually reaching a fairly stable and enduring level. This makes self-esteem similar to the stability of personality traits over time.
Self-esteem impacts your decision-making process, your relationships, your emotional health, and your overall well-being. It also influences motivation, as people with a healthy, positive view of themselves understand their potential and may feel inspired to take on new challenges.
Four key characteristics of healthy self-esteem are:
1.A firm understanding of one's skills
2.The ability to maintain healthy relationships with others as a result of having a healthy relationship with oneself
3.Realistic and appropriate personal expectations
4.An understanding of one's needs and the ability to express those needs
Many theorists have written about the dynamics involved in the development of self-esteem. The concept of self-esteem plays an important role in psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which depicts esteem as one of the basic human motivations.
Maslow suggested that individuals need both appreciation from other people and inner self-respect to build esteem. Both of these needs must be fulfilled in order for an individual to grow as a person and reach self-actualization.
There are many factors that can influence self-esteem. Your self-esteem may be impacted by:
•Age
•Disability
•Genetics
•Illness
•Physical abilities
There are some simple ways to tell if you have healthy self-esteem. You probably have healthy self-esteem if you:
•Avoid dwelling on past negative experiences
•Believe you are equal to everyone else, no better and no worse
•Express your needs
•Feel confident
•Have a positive outlook on life
Low self-esteem may manifest in a variety of ways. If you have low self-esteem:
•You may believe that others are better than you.
•You may find expressing your needs difficult.
•You may focus on your weaknesses.
•You may frequently experience fear, self-doubt, and worry.
•You may have a negative outlook on life and feel a lack of control.
Overly high self-esteem is often mislabeled as narcissism, however there are some distinct traits that differentiate these terms. Individuals with narcissistic traits may appear to have high self-esteem, but their self-esteem may be high or low and is unstable, constantly shifting depending on the given situation. Those with excessive self-esteem:
•May be preoccupied with being perfect
•May focus on always being right
•May believe they cannot fail
•May believe they are more skilled or better than others
•May express grandiose ideas
Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to address problems with your perceptions of yourself and faith in your abilities. How do you build self-esteem? Some actions that you can take to help improve your self-esteem include:
•Become more aware of negative thoughts. Learn to identify the distorted thoughts that are impacting your self-worth.
•Challenge negative thinking patterns. When you find yourself engaging in negative thinking, try countering those thoughts with more realistic and/or positive ones.
•Use positive self-talk. Practice reciting positive affirmations to yourself.
•Practice self-compassion. Practice forgiving yourself for past mistakes and move forward by accepting all parts of yourself.
Low self-esteem can contribute to or be a symptom of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. Consider speaking with a doctor or therapist about available treatment options, which may include psychotherapy (in-person or online), medications, or a combination of both.
Jul 8, 2022 · An individual’s self-concept and level of self-esteem are influenced by their biology and culturally specific experiences. Children and adolescents are required to ‘fit in’ and conform to current, cultural expectations of age-related behaviour.
Sociometer theory is concerned with understanding how self-esteem developed in humanity’s past and how it affects self-enhancement in the present. Finally, self-affirmation theory focuses on how people try to self-enhance after their self-integrity has been threatened.
The meta-analytic findings clarify previously unresolved issues about the nature and magnitude of self-esteem change in specific developmental periods (i.e., childhood, adolescence, and old age) and draw a much more precise picture of the life span trajectory of self-esteem. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
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That is, self-esteem can be broken down into two components: self-liking and self-competence (Tafarodi & Swann, 2001). Self-competence is an evaluation of one’s ability to bring about a desired outcome while the need for communion is an evaluation of one’s goodness, worth, and lovability.
