Research Essay on Self-Esteem
Research essay
Kurmanalieva Cholpon BA-110
Low vs. high self-esteem
The word “self-esteem” comes from the Latin aesimare, which means “to estimate or appraise”. Self-esteem thus refers to our positive and negative evaluations of ourselves (Coopersmith, 1967). There are two social psychological theories which explain why all of us need to have self-esteem. One theory, proposed by Mark Leary and his colleagues, is that people are inherently social animals and that the need for self-esteem is driven by this more primitive need to connect with others and gain their approval. Our self-esteem thus serves as an indicator of how we’re doing in the eyes of others. The other theory, proposed by Jeff Creenberg, Shelton Solomon, and Tom Pyszczynski, is that people are motivated to see themselves as valuable members of society as a way of coping with a deeply rooted fear of death that haunts us all. There are two types of self-esteem: high and low self-esteem. High self-esteem can be divided into secure and fragile high self-esteem. Some people prefer having high self-esteem while others claim that low self-esteem is better than high self-esteem. For most people it’s easier to say they have normal self-esteem, but there can’t be “normal self-esteem.” Such people should specify what type of self-esteem (either high or low) can be considered “normal”. And the question is, “What type of self-esteem can be considered relatively the best? The answer to this question was found through a deep analysis of advantages and disadvantages of both high and low self-esteem. Firstly, I analyzed the advantages of high self-esteem. High self-esteem people usually have a strong position in their life. They always know who they are, what they want, and what way they are going. They don’t depend on others’ opinion, because they have their own point of view and are not afraid of sharing it with others. Thanks to high self-esteem, people are encouraged to participate in
Kurmanalieva Cholpon BA-110
Low vs. high self-esteem
The word “self-esteem” comes from the Latin aesimare, which means “to estimate or appraise”. Self-esteem thus refers to our positive and negative evaluations of ourselves (Coopersmith, 1967). There are two social psychological theories which explain why all of us need to have self-esteem. One theory, proposed by Mark Leary and his colleagues, is that people are inherently social animals and that the need for self-esteem is driven by this more primitive need to connect with others and gain their approval. Our self-esteem thus serves as an indicator of how we’re doing in the eyes of others. The other theory, proposed by Jeff Creenberg, Shelton Solomon, and Tom Pyszczynski, is that people are motivated to see themselves as valuable members of society as a way of coping with a deeply rooted fear of death that haunts us all. There are two types of self-esteem: high and low self-esteem. High self-esteem can be divided into secure and fragile high self-esteem. Some people prefer having high self-esteem while others claim that low self-esteem is better than high self-esteem. For most people it’s easier to say they have normal self-esteem, but there can’t be “normal self-esteem.” Such people should specify what type of self-esteem (either high or low) can be considered “normal”. And the question is, “What type of self-esteem can be considered relatively the best? The answer to this question was found through a deep analysis of advantages and disadvantages of both high and low self-esteem. Firstly, I analyzed the advantages of high self-esteem. High self-esteem people usually have a strong position in their life. They always know who they are, what they want, and what way they are going. They don’t depend on others’ opinion, because they have their own point of view and are not afraid of sharing it with others. Thanks to high self-esteem, people are encouraged to participate in