Social Self-Esteem 02.1
02.01
Social self-esteem: Children want to be accepted and liked by their families, their teachers, and their peers. Children often rate their self-worth on how popular they are with others.
Academic self-esteem: Children want to do well in school, be perceived as intelligent by others, and feel that their time spent in school is productive.
Physical self-esteem: Athletic accomplishments lead to greater self-esteem. “Physical self-esteem” also refers to the child’s perception of his or her appearance. Children and adolescents will have higher self-esteem if they feel they are physically attractive to others.
Moral self-esteem: Children want others to see them as decent, moral, trustworthy individuals. They feel better about themselves if …show more content…
they feel they can trust their own moral judgment.
02.02
In general people with high self-esteem: • Are ambitious. They set goals for themselves and pursue them in a disciplined, responsible manner. • Are optimistic about life. • Have a genuinely kind and courteous disposition toward others. • Have good communication skills. • Attract and choose friends and romantic partners who also have high self-esteem. They demand respect from the people in their lives and find themselves in healthy relationships. • Are psychologically healthy and emotionally stable. • Make decisions based on their own values and interests, rather than to win the approval of others.
Likewise, people with low self-esteem generally: • Fail to achieve their goals.
• Are not able to pursue accomplishments in a responsible and disciplined manner. • Have poor communication skills. • Have a pessimistic view on life. • Are prone to anxiety, depression, hostility, loneliness, shame, and guilt. • Form unhealthy, destructive relationships with others. • Make decisions in life more to please others than to adhere to their own interests and value systems.
02.03
Infancy: Children between birth and two years of age develop (or fail to develop) two key concepts that contribute to self-esteem. The first is a sense of themselves as individuals. The child learns that he exists as an individual in the world, and that his actions have observable consequences in the surrounding environment. The child learns that he has the power to manipulate the world around him—to make things happen. The second important concept a child develops during this time is a sense of trust and love that is built upon a solid bond between the child and his caregivers.Therefore, the most important thing a parent can do to promote a child’s self-esteem during this time is to forge a strong bond between parent and …show more content…
child.
Early Childhood: Between the ages of two and five, children make major strides in developing their sense of self. Major developments during this time include: • Large improvements in their communication skills: At one and two years of age, a child has minimal language skills—most speech is in the form of simple, one-word responses or short sentences. By five years of age, a child can speak clearly and fluently—skillfully manipulating a large vocabulary and complex grammar. Many children at this age have begun to read. • Increased social engagements with a wide network of peers and adults. • Significant improvements in motor skills lead the child to take on day-to-day tasks with ever increasing autonomy. (The child learns to feed herself, dress herself, do simple household chores, etc.) • Children begin to exhibit gender-specific behaviors. They also begin to show a preference for toys and clothing that are associated with their gender. (Experts disagree on the extent that biology and culture contribute to this.) • Preschool-aged children are voraciously curious and are constantly seeking out information about the world around them.
02.04:
School Age: Children between the ages of six and twelve spend a large portion of their day away from home. Their home becomes less and less the focus of their lives as they progress through this phase. Their relationships with their parents become less all-consuming and the children become more and focused on their relationships with their peers • A parent can actively arrange a child’s social life, making sure that the child has many social outlets and therefore plenty of opportunities to interact with peers and develop social skills (parents should be particularly active in managing the social activities of younger children). • A parent can identify behaviors that other children are likely to be turned off by and coach the child to control those behaviors (e.g., Jimmy is loud, pushy, and talks out of turn. If Jimmy is coached to control this behavior, he is more likely to be liked by peers). • Low academic performance often leads to rejection by peers. Therefore, a parent can improve a child’s social status by tutoring him in his academic subjects. • Children also gain the respect of their peers by success in sports and other extracurricular pursuits. Therefore, by encouraging a child to develop his talents, a parent may help a child improve his standing within his peer group. • Parents with good social skills are more likely to raise children with good social skills. They provide more opportunities for their children to learn good social skills by example. They also are better able to identify the roots of their child’s social problems and can better advise their child on appropriate ways to behave.
Adolescence: Teenagers no longer base their self-esteem on their interactions with family and their immediate school environment. Teenagers compare their own values and activities with those of the world around them. They are more abstract thinkers than younger children and are inclined to analyze the roles of themselves, their families, and their peer groups in the world at large.
02.05
Disability: Physically, mentally, and emotionally disabled children often suffer from low self-esteem.
Handicapped children are often self-conscious about their inability to do things that most people take for granted. This can contribute to feelings of helplessness and worthlessness.
Body Image: Poor opinions of one’s physical appearance can have a large negative effect on self-esteem. (This is particularly true for teenage girls.) Adolescent girls are exposed to a lot of messages, through their peer groups and through the media, on the importance of looking the right way and having the right body shape. Therefore, many healthy and attractive young girls view themselves as overweight or otherwise unsightly. Parents should encourage their children to accept their bodies and appreciate the inherent differences found among human
bodies.
Conflict in the Home: Children are aware when there is marital conflict in the home, and this almost always results in the diminishing of the child’s self-esteem. Divorce of one’s parents is traumatic for children of all ages. However, it appears that most of the negative psychological effects that divorce has on a child endure for only around two years. This may indeed be healthier for the child than year after year in a home filled with discord. Of course, this is only the case if the divorce actually ends the conflict between the child’s feuding parents. Children whose parents continue to fight even after the divorce will not be able to begin the process of recovering their self-esteem. Being raised in a stable, one-parent environment does not appear to have a negative effect on self-esteem.
Poverty: Children can be very superficial when it comes to money and possessions. Grade school children in particular place a high value on material wealth. Children from wealthier homes tend to be more popular at this age level and to have higher self-esteem. Financial difficulties can also create stress and tension in the home, which can negatively affect a child’s self-image.
Abuse: Victims of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect are likely to develop severe self-esteem problems. Some studies indicate that victims of abuse are more likely to become abusive parents later in life.
02.06
Children who excel at sports are likely to take pride in their accomplishments, as are children who succeed in artistic endeavors or leadership positions. Therefore, parents should encourage children to participate in sports and clubs that are productive and give their children a feeling of accomplishment. Parents who actively support their children’s endeavors (by giving them rides to club meetings or cheering for them in the bleachers) are sending the message to their children that their endeavors and accomplishments are considered worthwhile.
Social self-esteem: Children want to be accepted and liked by their families, their teachers, and their peers. Children often rate their self-worth on how popular they are with others.
Academic self-esteem: Children want to do well in school, be perceived as intelligent by others, and feel that their time spent in school is productive.
Physical self-esteem: Athletic accomplishments lead to greater self-esteem. “Physical self-esteem” also refers to the child’s perception of his or her appearance. Children and adolescents will have higher self-esteem if they feel they are physically attractive to others.
Moral self-esteem: Children want others to see them as decent, moral, trustworthy individuals. They feel better about themselves if …show more content…
they feel they can trust their own moral judgment.
02.02
In general people with high self-esteem: • Are ambitious. They set goals for themselves and pursue them in a disciplined, responsible manner. • Are optimistic about life. • Have a genuinely kind and courteous disposition toward others. • Have good communication skills. • Attract and choose friends and romantic partners who also have high self-esteem. They demand respect from the people in their lives and find themselves in healthy relationships. • Are psychologically healthy and emotionally stable. • Make decisions based on their own values and interests, rather than to win the approval of others.
Likewise, people with low self-esteem generally: • Fail to achieve their goals.
• Are not able to pursue accomplishments in a responsible and disciplined manner. • Have poor communication skills. • Have a pessimistic view on life. • Are prone to anxiety, depression, hostility, loneliness, shame, and guilt. • Form unhealthy, destructive relationships with others. • Make decisions in life more to please others than to adhere to their own interests and value systems.
02.03
Infancy: Children between birth and two years of age develop (or fail to develop) two key concepts that contribute to self-esteem. The first is a sense of themselves as individuals. The child learns that he exists as an individual in the world, and that his actions have observable consequences in the surrounding environment. The child learns that he has the power to manipulate the world around him—to make things happen. The second important concept a child develops during this time is a sense of trust and love that is built upon a solid bond between the child and his caregivers.Therefore, the most important thing a parent can do to promote a child’s self-esteem during this time is to forge a strong bond between parent and …show more content…
child.
Early Childhood: Between the ages of two and five, children make major strides in developing their sense of self. Major developments during this time include: • Large improvements in their communication skills: At one and two years of age, a child has minimal language skills—most speech is in the form of simple, one-word responses or short sentences. By five years of age, a child can speak clearly and fluently—skillfully manipulating a large vocabulary and complex grammar. Many children at this age have begun to read. • Increased social engagements with a wide network of peers and adults. • Significant improvements in motor skills lead the child to take on day-to-day tasks with ever increasing autonomy. (The child learns to feed herself, dress herself, do simple household chores, etc.) • Children begin to exhibit gender-specific behaviors. They also begin to show a preference for toys and clothing that are associated with their gender. (Experts disagree on the extent that biology and culture contribute to this.) • Preschool-aged children are voraciously curious and are constantly seeking out information about the world around them.
02.04:
School Age: Children between the ages of six and twelve spend a large portion of their day away from home. Their home becomes less and less the focus of their lives as they progress through this phase. Their relationships with their parents become less all-consuming and the children become more and focused on their relationships with their peers • A parent can actively arrange a child’s social life, making sure that the child has many social outlets and therefore plenty of opportunities to interact with peers and develop social skills (parents should be particularly active in managing the social activities of younger children). • A parent can identify behaviors that other children are likely to be turned off by and coach the child to control those behaviors (e.g., Jimmy is loud, pushy, and talks out of turn. If Jimmy is coached to control this behavior, he is more likely to be liked by peers). • Low academic performance often leads to rejection by peers. Therefore, a parent can improve a child’s social status by tutoring him in his academic subjects. • Children also gain the respect of their peers by success in sports and other extracurricular pursuits. Therefore, by encouraging a child to develop his talents, a parent may help a child improve his standing within his peer group. • Parents with good social skills are more likely to raise children with good social skills. They provide more opportunities for their children to learn good social skills by example. They also are better able to identify the roots of their child’s social problems and can better advise their child on appropriate ways to behave.
Adolescence: Teenagers no longer base their self-esteem on their interactions with family and their immediate school environment. Teenagers compare their own values and activities with those of the world around them. They are more abstract thinkers than younger children and are inclined to analyze the roles of themselves, their families, and their peer groups in the world at large.
02.05
Disability: Physically, mentally, and emotionally disabled children often suffer from low self-esteem.
Handicapped children are often self-conscious about their inability to do things that most people take for granted. This can contribute to feelings of helplessness and worthlessness.
Body Image: Poor opinions of one’s physical appearance can have a large negative effect on self-esteem. (This is particularly true for teenage girls.) Adolescent girls are exposed to a lot of messages, through their peer groups and through the media, on the importance of looking the right way and having the right body shape. Therefore, many healthy and attractive young girls view themselves as overweight or otherwise unsightly. Parents should encourage their children to accept their bodies and appreciate the inherent differences found among human
bodies.
Conflict in the Home: Children are aware when there is marital conflict in the home, and this almost always results in the diminishing of the child’s self-esteem. Divorce of one’s parents is traumatic for children of all ages. However, it appears that most of the negative psychological effects that divorce has on a child endure for only around two years. This may indeed be healthier for the child than year after year in a home filled with discord. Of course, this is only the case if the divorce actually ends the conflict between the child’s feuding parents. Children whose parents continue to fight even after the divorce will not be able to begin the process of recovering their self-esteem. Being raised in a stable, one-parent environment does not appear to have a negative effect on self-esteem.
Poverty: Children can be very superficial when it comes to money and possessions. Grade school children in particular place a high value on material wealth. Children from wealthier homes tend to be more popular at this age level and to have higher self-esteem. Financial difficulties can also create stress and tension in the home, which can negatively affect a child’s self-image.
Abuse: Victims of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect are likely to develop severe self-esteem problems. Some studies indicate that victims of abuse are more likely to become abusive parents later in life.
02.06
Children who excel at sports are likely to take pride in their accomplishments, as are children who succeed in artistic endeavors or leadership positions. Therefore, parents should encourage children to participate in sports and clubs that are productive and give their children a feeling of accomplishment. Parents who actively support their children’s endeavors (by giving them rides to club meetings or cheering for them in the bleachers) are sending the message to their children that their endeavors and accomplishments are considered worthwhile.