Self Esteem

Self-Esteem is a personal judgment of one's worth and the satisfaction or dissatisfaction with one's own self. By this definition Self-Esteem is how each individual person views them selves as a person both mentality and physically. According to William James, the American psychologist, self esteem involves only one mental perception of the own qualities and their physical. Self esteem plays an important role of who people are and starts at a very young age. There are both positives and negative cycles of self esteem. Self esteem is the one of the most important aspects in psychology because it can either give confidence or accept defeat. William James introduced self esteem during his later years has a psychologist, to which a psychologist by the name of Abraham Maslow continued his studies of self esteem. Abraham Maslow is most notably known for "Maslow Hierarchy of Needs."(Ciccarelli 343) Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a pyramid in which a person can not reach the top needs with out having the proper base. The needs are as follows (1) Physiological, (2) Safety, (3) Belongingness and Love, (4) Esteem, (5) Self Actualization. In the Physiological part of the pyramid a human's basic needs for life must be met: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. These physiological needs can control thoughts and behaviors, which can in turn cause discomfort, and sickness. Safety requires the feeling of security of ones self and personal property. Belongingness and Love require friendship, sexual intimacy, and support from either a family member a trusted individual. Esteem all humans have a need to be respected, to have self-respect, and to respect others. Finally Self Actualization sitting at the apex of the pyramid gives a person morality, creativity, and spontaneity, problem solving abilities, lack of prejudice and the acceptance of fact. (Ciccarelli 343) According to Maslow only through having all steps of the pyramid can self esteem be maximized,