Group three: Self-Concept
School Experiences and Self-Esteem
By: Gabriela Martinez
Adolescent Psychology 2307
Mr. Shepard
2
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What is Self-esteem? Self-esteem is a way of viewing your self worth. It is a
personʼs own measurement of their potential and values. There are people who have different levels of self-esteem. There are those who have confidence, high self-esteem, and there are those who are not so confident in themselves, low self-esteem, there are also people who have Overly high self-esteem and extremely low self-esteem. The question is, where is it that adolescence find this sense of self? Does it come from the parents influence at home, or the mediaʼs influence on T.V., are you born with a certain amount of self-esteem already?
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In his social psychological concept “The Looking Glass Self”, Charles H. Cooley
stated that we as humans, perceive ourselves on how we think others perceive us. If you feel that your peers think negatively of you, well than your perception of yourself will be a negative one which will ultimately lower a persons self-esteem, and if you feel perceived positively than that self-esteem will be high. I think the biggest factor, when it comes to an adolescence self-esteem, is the school system. Children are in school for about 40 hours a week, parents have little idea of what goes on while their children are away at school, and the way these adolescence at school view each other has to play a big role in self-confidence.
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Some research suggests the development in self-esteem comes from the
temperament of the child. This suggests that self-esteem could be an inherited trait because temperament is usually inherited by the parents. Other research suggests that the biggest influence, especially early on, when it comes to an adolescents self-esteem comes from the parents. Children are extremely affected by the way they feel they are viewed by the individuals around them. If parents start