Self-esteem of teenagers on Hong Kong
HKU SPACE Community College
Associate Degree / Higher Diploma Program
Second Semester 2013-2014
English for Arts and Humanities
Assignment 2: Research Paper Self-esteem of teenagers in Hong Kong
Self-esteem, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect. It has been one of the most significant issues discussed on about teenagers in Hong Kong as their behaviors are often influenced by the environs such as people around them and the society. Many of them have arrived at a very low self-esteem in which it adversely affected their physical and mental health. The conflict is that whether their low self-esteems are mostly caused by academic pressure, lacking of parent-children communication or the influence from the media. Another concern is that how these people contribute in shaping one’s own self-esteem. Therefore, this essay will first discuss the responsibilities of each stakeholder and how are these related to the construction of teenagers’ self-esteem. After that, it will provide arguments to illustrate that the way teenagers in Hong Kong see themselves contribute the most in lowering their self-esteem. It is believed that most of the teenagers are pressurized by the education system of Hong Kong which focused heavily on academic achievement (Mak). Teachers often use students’ academic performance to classify them as good or bad, along with the large amount of time teenager spends at school learning, it may cause them to evaluate themselves by their academic success. A research entitled “A Study on How Hong Kong Young People Cope with Stress” by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Youth Research Centre in August 2004, examination was being regarded as the second most stressful item. This showed that teenagers having academic burden tend to value themselves less, resulted in low self-esteem. Thus, it seems that with the elevation
Associate Degree / Higher Diploma Program
Second Semester 2013-2014
English for Arts and Humanities
Assignment 2: Research Paper Self-esteem of teenagers in Hong Kong
Self-esteem, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect. It has been one of the most significant issues discussed on about teenagers in Hong Kong as their behaviors are often influenced by the environs such as people around them and the society. Many of them have arrived at a very low self-esteem in which it adversely affected their physical and mental health. The conflict is that whether their low self-esteems are mostly caused by academic pressure, lacking of parent-children communication or the influence from the media. Another concern is that how these people contribute in shaping one’s own self-esteem. Therefore, this essay will first discuss the responsibilities of each stakeholder and how are these related to the construction of teenagers’ self-esteem. After that, it will provide arguments to illustrate that the way teenagers in Hong Kong see themselves contribute the most in lowering their self-esteem. It is believed that most of the teenagers are pressurized by the education system of Hong Kong which focused heavily on academic achievement (Mak). Teachers often use students’ academic performance to classify them as good or bad, along with the large amount of time teenager spends at school learning, it may cause them to evaluate themselves by their academic success. A research entitled “A Study on How Hong Kong Young People Cope with Stress” by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Youth Research Centre in August 2004, examination was being regarded as the second most stressful item. This showed that teenagers having academic burden tend to value themselves less, resulted in low self-esteem. Thus, it seems that with the elevation
Cited: "A Study on How Hong Kong Young People Cope with Stress." Hong Kong Federation of Youth. N.p., Aug. 2004. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. . "HKUST must share blame for suicide, head says." South China Morning Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. . "Hong Kong Adolescents’ Perceptions of Family Functioning." Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Youth Research Centre. N.p., July. 2000. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.. Mak, Zoe. "Fat chance for youths trying to build self-esteem." South China Morning Post. N.p., 23 Apr. 2007. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. . "Why even successful women are insecure about their looks." BBC News. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. .