The Determinants Of Self Esteem

Self Esteem

The term self-esteem can be defined as the level to which individuals view their worthiness as an individual. The roots of self-esteem are that, the appraisal is first developed from childhood and continues throughout someone’s life. If it one has low self-worthiness. If anyone has low self-worth, then it means that these earlier experience is simply overshadowed the individual and have come to represent the total sum who believe the individual is. Apart from being the basic features of mental health, positive self-esteem also is a protective factor which assists in attaining better health as well as good social behaviors in its duty as a buffer against the effects of negative impacts. This factor actively promotes health functioning as indicated in life concepts like achievements, being satisfied on top of possessing the capability of copping with disease like cancer. The development of self-esteem is depends on a variety of intra-individual and social factors. This easy critically argues the determinants of our self-esteem.

Our Self-esteem can be determined by the approval and support particularly from parents and peers. The attachment as well as the unconditional parental support is much crucial during self-development stage. Because, this is a reciprocal process, being people with positive self-esteem can assist internalize better the positive of significant others. For example, in their prospective research, (Garber and Flynn, 62), discovered that, the development of negative self-esteem, is as a result of factors like low maternal acceptance, a history of maternal depression, as well as much exposure to negative interpersonal contexts, for instance, parenting practices that are seem negative, early history of child maltreatment, having negative feedbacks from others one one’s competence, on top of family discord and disruption. All these is because, self esteem is a factor that develop from childhood to adult stage. As a matter of fact then, it is so much significant that parents try to support their kids to develop confidence in themselves. But, due to the fact that, there is limited attention span that kids posses. Parents are required to have different approaches that will help their kids improve their self esteem. One way that is readily available to parents is through the use of self esteem practices for kids. Self esteem practices for children are termed being the best if there are inform of entertainment especially games, so that the attention of a child is caught.

Another determinant of our self-esteem is discrepancies amongst the competing concepts of the self, like between the idealism and the realty, particularly in the domains of significant. If the discrepancies between the values are too large, a child ends up assigning to particular competence field, as well as the perceived self-competencies that particular area, ends up lowering the feelings of self esteem. In addition to that, the existence of discrepancies between self as seen by oneself, and the self that is observed by significant others, that is surface esteem. It has been implied that, this could refer to differences that might end up existing between self-perceived competences and the absence of approval or support by either parents or peers.

Get Help With Your Essay

If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!
Find out more about our Essay Writing Service

Self-esteem could be as a result of cognitive inferential processes. This could be seen as a determinant of both negative and positive feelings of self-worthiness. This is so particularly when kids observe and ends up evaluating their own behaviors in competencies in some specified domains, or the self-efficacy. When their evaluation is much poor, their competencies, particularly in comparison to those of there fellow age mate or age set, or weighted to the standards of significant others, as they ends up having more negative self-esteem. This kind of self-monitoring process can ends up being negatively or positively biased by a learned tendency to either positive or negative thinking.

By the middle childhood and adolescence, peers are another determinant of our self esteem. Peers in most circumstances have taken up the vital role in determining our level of self-esteem. There are a times also when schools picks up a vital role in the determination of their students’ self esteem via the attitudes they do foster through competitions, and efforts, their achievement recognition in sports, academics the arts, as well as their acceptance of any kid as an individual who is much unique.

On the other hand, there exist negative impacts if there is overindulgence in empty complaints. In most cases, such like an issue might result to side effects on the self esteem. Praising as well as acknowledgement, ought to be genuine and legitimate, so that they might be much effective. On the same note, friendship can also become much influential. Research has shown that, school aged young people, spent much of their time with their friends as compared to the time spent dealing with their homework, playing alone, or even watching televisions. On top of all these, the amount of time children spent interacting with their parents is reduced greatly from as when they were still young. Both pre-teen as well as teenagers are faced with many issues that are related to conformity on top of peer pressure. This age group is pulled between the desires of being seen as a person with values that are much unique, and the desires of belonging to a group that they feel accepted and much secure, (Erikson, 209).

At this period or stage, social acceptance by per groups plays a major role in the development and maintaining self esteem. These experiences learnt at school, and with peers all determines our self esteem. Psychologists and child development experts, who are writing about self-esteem generally, discussing it in terms of two main components; the feelings being loved and are accepted by others. Furthermore, a sense of competence on top of mastery in the undertaking of some functions as well as independent problem solving.

Competence and mastery are the factors that determine our self esteem. It has been emphasized that, self esteem develop in children via mastery and competence, that usually emanate tackling and triumphing over challenges, even the ones who happen to being the modest. It is believed that, parents have the ability of boosting self esteem in infancy by giving them a role that is much active and autonomous in a casual play. As toddlers and infancy develop to an advance stage to self care practices, for instance beginning to feed themselves, parents are then encouraged to let their kids complete their tasks by themselves. No matter how they have done it imperfectly, parents need to avoid jumping in and providing necessary help.

For instance, it is suggested that, by allowing kids to pick up small pieces of food at the age of lets say 8 month even if on the way, some are dropped, and letting them hold their bottles on their own at the age of 12 month. It has been argued that, children in modern developing countries have an active role in the economic life of the community. They do assist their families by participating in some of the family jobs that are in most circumstances are done by adults. As a result, they tent to have higher chances of mastering tasks as compared to there counterparts in urban areas or developed countries, (Michal, 72).

Workplace and age stresses in one way or the other determines our self esteem. These individuals that we usually work with subjects as to several stress factors like feeling of inadequacy, dissatisfaction, as well as fear of being branded as being a non-performer. All of these sated issues have a direct connection to the individuals’ state of mind. Seniors beset with age connected problems also faces similar dilemma of much low self esteem and self worth. Issues like retirements, diminishing both mental and physical faculties, sickness as well as loosening of family ties is much responsible for those who are aged to feel lonely as well as much isolated.

On the other hand, to build the mood of such individuals, laughter yoga is the fastest as well as the simplest way of improving self worth, self esteem as well as self confidence. It contains the authority of changing the state of the mood almost instantaneously and result to the generation of positive emotions. It has been shown that, the release of endorphins during laughter produces a factor of feel good. It also changes their way of looking at things. It also develops relations and family like bonding that uplifts their spirits, confidence regeneration, which all leads to positive self esteem.

In conclusion, every body has a picture of what his strength and weaknesses are. This mental picture is created through experiences starting at birth. Self esteem has been considered by many as being the most significant element of emotional health. Throughout the argument in the essay, it has been shown that, our self esteem is determined by the behavior of individuals in the society, how parents relate to their kids, both workplace as well as age stresses, the performance of youngsters in school, how they do react to peer pressure, as well as how they react to each other. These factors have attracted the attention of many psychologists and experts in the child development since 1980s.

Work Cited

Erikson, Erik. Childhood and Society. Norton: New York. 1965. Print.

Garber, Judy & Flynn, Frederick. Predictors Of Depressive Cognitions In Young Adolescents. Cognitive Theory and Research, 25 (2001): 353-376.

Michal, Mann. Clemens, Hosman. Herman, Schaalma. & Nanne, de Vries. Self-Esteem in A Broad-Spectrum Approach For Mental Health Promotion. Oxford Journals of Medicine Health Education Research. 19.4 (2003): 357-372.