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In psychology, self-esteem reflects a person's overall self-appraisal of their own worth. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and The term person is used in Common sense to mean an individual Human being.

Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, "I am competent/incompetent") and emotions (for example: triumph/despair, pride/shame). Pride is a lofty view of one's self or one's own Pride often manifests itself as a high opinion of one's Nation (national pride Ethnicity (ethnic pride or appearance Shame is variously an affect emotion cognition state or condition Behavior may reflect self-esteem, in (for example: assertiveness/timorousness, confidence/caution). Assertiveness is a Trait taught by many Personal development experts and psychotherapists and the subject of many popular Self-help books In Humans shyness (also called diffidence) is a Social psychology term used to describe the Feeling of apprehension lack of confidence Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective given the

Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic (trait self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations (state self-esteem) occur.

Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example: "I believe I am a good writer, and feel proud of that in particular") or have global extent (for example: "I believe I am a good person, and feel proud of myself in general").

Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include:

Compare:

Contents

History of the concept of self-esteem

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)[6] traces the use of the word "self-esteem" in English back as far as 1657. Self-efficacy is the belief that one is capable of performing in a certain manner to attain certain goals The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English After a career in the proto-psychological lore of phrenology in the 19th century[7] the term entered more mainstream psychological use in the work of the American psychologists and philosophers Lorne Park and William James in 1890. Phrenology (from Greek: φρήν phrēn, "mind" and λόγος Logos, "knowledge" is a defunct field of study once For other people named William James see William James (disambiguation William James (January 11 1842 – August 26 1910 was a pioneering Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Self-esteem has become the third most frequently occurring theme in psychological literature: as of 2003 over 25,000 articles, chapters, and books referred to the topic. [8]

Definitions of self-esteem

Given a long and varied history, the term has, unsurprisingly, no less than three major types of definitions in the field, each of which has generated its own tradition of research, findings, and practical applications:

  1. The original definition presents self-esteem as a ratio found by dividing one’s successes in areas of life of importance to a given individual by the failures in them or one’s “success / pretensions”. As commonly used, individual refers to a Person or to any specific object in a collection [9] Problems with this approach come from making self-esteem contingent upon success: this implies inherent instability because failure can occur at any moment. [10]
  2. In the mid 1960s Morris Rosenberg and social-learning theorists defined self-esteem in terms of a stable sense of personal worth or worthiness, measurable by self-report testing (see Rosenberg self esteem scale. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is a widely-used Self-esteem measure in social science research This became the most frequently used definition for research, but involves problems of boundary-definition, making self-esteem indistinguishable from such things as narcissism or simple bragging. Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. [11]
  3. Nathaniel Branden in 1969 briefly defined self-esteem as "…the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness". Nathaniel Branden, né Nathan Blumenthal (born 9 April 1930 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada) is a psychotherapist This two-factor approach, as some have also called it, provides a balanced definition that seems to be capable of dealing with limits of defining self-esteem primarily in terms of competence or worth alone. [12]

Branden’s (1969) description of self-esteem includes the following primary properties:

  1. self-esteem as a basic human need, i. e. , "…it makes an essential contribution to the life process", "…is indispensable to normal and healthy self-development, and has a value for survival. "
  2. self-esteem as an automatic and inevitable consequence of the sum of individuals' choices in using their consciousness
  3. something experienced as a part of, or background to, all of the individual's thoughts, feelings and actions.

Compare the usage of terms such as self-love or self-confidence.

Measuring self-esteem

For the purposes of empirical research, psychologists typically assess self-esteem by a self-report questionnaire yielding a quantitative result. A questionnaire is a Research instrument consisting of a series of Questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents They establish the validity and reliability of the questionnaire prior to its use.

Popular lore recognizes just "high" self-esteem and "low" self-esteem.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967/1981) feature among the most widely used systems for measuring self-esteem. The Rosenberg test, often seen as a "standard", usually uses a ten-question battery scored on a four-point response-system. The Coopersmith Inventory uses a 50-question battery over a variety of topics and asks subjects whether they rate positive or negative characteristics of someone as similar or dissimilar to themselves. [13]

Maslow's approaches to esteem

American psychologist Abraham Maslow described two kinds of esteem needs — the need for respect from others and the need for self-respect. Abraham Harold Maslow ( April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist. Respect from others entails recognition, acceptance, status, and appreciation. Without the fulfillment of these needs, Maslow suggests, an individual feels discouraged, weak and inferior.

Quality and level of self-esteem

Level and quality of self-esteem, though correlated, remain distinct. Level-wise, one can exhibit high but fragile self-esteem (as in narcissism) or low but stable self-esteem (as in humility). Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important However, investigators can indirectly assess the quality of self-esteem in several ways:

  1. in terms of its constancy over time (stability)
  2. in terms of its independence of meeting particular conditions (non-contingency)
  3. in terms of its ingrained nature at a basic psychological level (implicitness or automaticity). Automaticity (ˌɔːtəməˈtɪsɨti is the ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low level details required

Excessive self-esteem

Humans have portrayed the dangers of excessive self-esteem and the advantages of more humility since at least the development of Greek tragedy, which typically showed the results of hubris. Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence Ongoing social concern with too much perceived self-esteem reflects in everyday language: we speak of "overweening" types and of the need to "take a person down a peg or two". Spiritual practices (notably Eastern spiritual practices) which de-emphasize the self may lead to a more socially acceptable balance in the personal self-esteem stakes. The self is a key construct in several schools of Psychology, broadly referring to the cognitive representation of one's identity

Self-esteem, grades and relationships

From the late 1970s to the early 1990s Americans assumed as a matter of course that students' self-esteem acted as a critical factor in the grades that they earn in school, in their relationships with their peers, and in their later success in life. An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or more people Personal life (or everyday life or human existence) is the course of an individual Human 's life especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices Given this assumption, many American groups created programs which aimed to increase the self-esteem of students, assuming that grades would increase, conflicts would decrease, and that this would lead to happier and more successful lives. Conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of Needs values and interests Until the 1990s little peer-reviewed and controlled research took place on this topic.

The concept of self-improvement has undergone dramatic change since 1911, when Ambrose Bierce mockingly defined self-esteem as "an erroneous appraisement. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24 1842 &ndash 1914? was an American Editorialist Journalist, short-story writer and Satirist. " Good and bad character are now known as "personality differences". Rights have replaced responsibilities. The research on egocentrism and ethnocentrism that informed discussion of human growth and development in the mid-20th century is ignored; indeed, the terms themselves are considered politically incorrect. In Psychology, egocentrism is defined as a the incomplete differentiation of the self and the world including other people and b the tendency to perceive understand and interpret Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own Culture. A revolution has taken place in the vocabulary of self. Words that imply responsibility or accountability — self-criticism, self-denial, self-discipline, self-control, self-effacement, self-mastery, self-reproach, and self-sacrifice — are no longer in fashion. The language most in favor is that which exalts the self — self-expression, self-assertion, self-indulgence, self-realization, self-approval, self-acceptance, self-love, and the ubiquitous self-esteem.

—Ruggiero, 2000

Peer-reviewed research undertaken since then has not validated previous assumptions. Recent research indicates that inflating students' self-esteem in and of itself has no positive effect on grades. One study has shown that inflating self-esteem by itself can actually decrease grades. [14]


High self-esteem correlates highly with self-reported happiness. However, it is not clear which, if either, necessarily leads to the other. [15]

Bullying, violence and murder

Some of the most interesting results of recent studies center on the relationships between bullying, violence, and self-esteem. Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through verbal Harassment, physical Assault, or other more subtle methods of Coercion Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes People used to assume that bullies acted violently towards others because they suffered from low self-esteem (although supporters of this position offered no controlled studies to back up this belief).

These findings suggest that the low-esteem theory is wrong. But none involves what social psychologists regard as the most convincing form of evidence: controlled laboratory experiments. When we conducted our initial review of the literature, we uncovered no lab studies that probed the link between self-esteem and aggression.

Roy Baumeister, 2001

In contrast to old beliefs, recent research indicates that bullies act the way that they do because they suffer from unearned high self-esteem. Dr Roy F Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida

Violent criminals often describe themselves as superior to others - as special, elite persons who deserve preferential treatment. Many murders and assaults are committed in response to blows to self-esteem such as insults and humiliation. An insult (also called putdown) is an expression statement or behavior that is considered degrading Humiliation (also called stultification) is the abasement of pride mortification (To be sure, some perpetrators live in settings where insults threaten more than their opinions of themselves. Esteem and respect are linked to status in the social hierarchy, and to put someone down can have tangible and even life-threatening consequences. )
The same conclusion has emerged from studies of other categories of violent people. Street-gang members have been reported to hold favourable opinions of themselves and turn to violence when these estimations are shaken. Gangsters redirects here For the computer game see Gangsters (video game. Playground bullies regard themselves as superior to other children; low self-esteem is found among the victims of bullies, but not among bullies themselves. Violent groups generally have overt belief systems that emphasise their superiority over others.

—Baumeister, 2001

The presence of superiority-complexes can be seen both in individual cases, such as the criminals Roy Baumeister studied, and in whole societies, such as Germany under the Nazi régime. Dr Roy F Baumeister is Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German

The findings of this research do not take into account that the concept of self-esteem lacks a clear definition and that differing views exist of the precise definition of self-esteem. In his own work, Baumeister often uses a "common use" definition: self-esteem is how you regard yourself (or how you appear to regard yourself) regardless of how this view was cultivated. Other psychologists believe that a "self esteem" that depends on external validation of the self (or other people's approval), such as what seems relevant in the discussion of violent people, does not, in fact, equate to "true" self-esteem. Nathaniel Branden labeled external validation as "pseudo self-esteem", arguing that "true self-esteem" comes from internal sources, such as self-responsibility, self-sufficiency and the knowledge of one's own competence and capability to deal with obstacles and adversity, regardless of what other people think. Nathaniel Branden, né Nathan Blumenthal (born 9 April 1930 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada) is a psychotherapist

Psychologists who agree with Branden's view dismiss Baumeister's findings. Such psychologists say that Baumeister mistakes narcissism as "high self-esteem" in criminals. Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. They see such narcissism as an inflated opinion of self, built on shaky grounds, and opine that violence comes when that opinion comes under threat. Those with "true" self-esteem who valued themselves and believed wholly in their own competence and worth would have no need to resort to violence or indeed have any need to believe in their superiority or to prove their superiority.

Contingencies of self-worth

Contingencies of self-worth comprise those qualities a person believes he or she must have in order to class as a person of worth and value; proponents claim the contingencies as the core of self-esteem.

In the field of social psychology, Jennifer Crocker has carried out major research on the topic of contingencies of self-worth. She says that her research "explores what it is that people believe they need to be or do to have value and worth as a person, and the consequences of those beliefs". She claims that people pursue self-esteem by trying to prove that they have worth and value, and this pursuit affects "the satisfaction of the fundamental human needs for learning, relationships, autonomy, self-regulation, and mental and physical health" (Crocker, 2007). Crocker argues that this pursuit of self-worth affects not only the individual, but everyone around the person as well.

According to the "Contingencies of Self-Worth model" (Crocker & Wolfe, 2001) people differ in their bases of self-esteem. Their beliefs — beliefs about what they think they need to do or who they need to "be" in order to class as a person of worth — form these bases. Crocker and her colleagues (2001) identified six "domains" in which people frequently derive their self-worth, including:

  1. virtue
  2. support of family
  3. academic competence
  4. physical attractiveness
  5. gaining others' approval

Individuals who base their self-worth in a specific domain (such as, for example, academic success) leave themselves much more vulnerable to having their self-esteem threatened when negative events happen to them within that domain (such as when they fail a test at school). Virtue ( Latin virtus; Greek) is moral Excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual A 2003 study by Crocker found that students who based their contingency of self-worth on academic criteria had a greater likelihood of experiencing lower-state self-esteem, greater negative affect, and negative self-evaluative thoughts when they did not perform well on academic tasks, when they received poor grades, or when graduate schools rejected them (Crocker, Karpinski, Quinn, & Chase, 2003; Crocker, Sommers, & Luhtanen, 2002). Affect, like the adjective affective, refers to the experience of feeling or Emotion.

Crocker and her colleagues (2003) have constructed the "Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale", which measures the seven domains mentioned above that previous research had hypothesized as providing important internal and external sources of self-esteem. Crocker argues that the domains on which people base self-worth play a greater role than whether self-worth is actually contingent or not. Contingencies of self-worth can function internally, externally, or somewhere in between. Some research has shown that external contingencies of self-worth, such as physical appearance and academic success, correlate negatively to well-being, even promoting depression and eating-disorders (Jambekar, Quinn, & Crocker, 2001). In the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry, the terms depression or depressed refer to both expected and pathologically chronic or severe An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat or avoid eating that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health Other work has found internal contingencies, on the other hand, unrelated or even positively related to well-being (Sargent, Crocker, & Luhtanen, 2006).

Research by Crocker and her colleagues also suggests that contingencies of self-worth have self-regulatory properties (Crocker, Luhtanen, Cooper, & Bouvrette, 2003). Crocker et al. define successful self-regulation as “the willingness to exert effort toward one’s most important goals, while taking setbacks and failures as opportunities to learn, identify weaknesses and address them, and develop new strategies toward achieving those goals” (Crocker, Brook, & Niiya, 2006). A goal or objective consists of a projected state of affairs which a Person or a System plans or intends to achieve or bring about — a personal or In the fields of Neuropsychology, Personal development and Education, Learning is one of the most important Mental function of humans Since many individuals strive for a feeling of worthiness, it makes sense that those people would experience special motivation to succeed and actively to avoid failure in the domains on which they base their own self-worth. Accordingly, successful self-regulation can prove difficult for people aiming to maintain and enhance their self-esteem, because they would have to actually embrace failure or criticism as a learning-opportunity, rather than avoid it. Instead, when a task which individuals see as fundamental to their self-worth proves difficult and failure seems probable, contingencies of self-worth lead to stress, feelings of pressure, and a loss of intrinsic motivation. Peer Pressure is a term describing the pressure exerted by a Peer group in encouraging a person to change their Attitude, Behavior and/or Morals Motivation is the reason or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior especially Human behavior as studied in Philosophy, Conflict, Economics In these cases, highly contingent people may withdraw from the situation. On the other hand, the positive emotional affect following success in a domain of contingency may become addictive for the highly contingent individual (Baumeister & Vohs, 2001). Over time, these people may require even greater successes to achieve the same satisfaction or emotional “high”. Therefore, the goal to succeed can become a relentless quest for these individuals (Crocker & Nuer, 2004).

Researchers such as Crocker believe that people confuse the boosts to self-esteem resulting from successes with true human needs, such as learning, mutually supportive relationships, autonomy, and safety (Crocker & Nuer, 2004; Crocker & Park, 2004; Deci & Ryan, 2000). Autonomy ( Greek: Auto- Nomos - nomos meaning "law" one who gives oneself his/her own Law) is the right to Self-government Crocker claims that people do not seek "self-esteem", but basic human needs, and that the contingencies on which they base their self-esteem has more importance than the level of self-esteem itself.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Defined as "self-esteem; self-respect" in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, 2000. Emotional competence refers to a person's ability in expressing or releasing their inner feelings ( Emotions. Emotional Intelligence ( EI) often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient ( EQ) describes an Ability, capacity Skill or (in Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence The Human Potential Movement (HPM arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that Intercultural competence is the ability of successful Communication with people of other Cultures This ability can exist in someone at a young age or may be developed Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. Self-awareness is the concept that one exists as an individual separate from other people with private Thoughts. A person's self image is the mental picture generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective Self is broadly defined as the essential qualities that make a person distinct from all others The self is a key construct in several schools of Psychology, broadly referring to the cognitive representation of one's identity In Sociology, the self refers to an individual person from the perspective of that person The Self is a complex and core subject in many forms of Spirituality. Social Skills are a group of skills which people need to interact and communicate with others Sociometer theory is a theory of Self-esteem from an evolutionary psychological perspective that proposes that state Self-esteem is a gauge (or sociometer The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by Online at http://www.bartleby.com/61/58/S0245800.html, retrieved 2007-11-15
  2. ^ Defined as "consideration of oneself or one's interests; self-respect" in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, 2000. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by Online at http://www.bartleby.com/61/18/S0241800.html, retrieved 2007-11-15
  3. ^ Defined as "due respect for oneself, one's character, and one's conduct" in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, 2000. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by Online at http://www.bartleby.com/61/23/S0242300.html, retrieved 2007-11-15
  4. ^ The Macquarie Dictionary. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. The Macquarie Dictionary is a Dictionary of Australian English. Compare The Dictionary of Psychology by Raymond Joseph Corsini. Psychology Press, 1999. ISBN 158391028X. Online via Google Book Search. Google Book Search is a tool from Google that searches the full text of books that Google scans OCRs, and stores in its digital database
  5. ^ Defined as "the instinct or desire to promote one's own well-being; regard for or love of one's self" in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, 2000. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by Online at http://www.bartleby.com/61/89/S0238900.html, retrieved 2007-11-15
  6. ^ "self-esteem" in Oxford English Dictionary. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Oxford: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1989.
  7. ^ "self-esteem" in Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Oxford: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1989.
  8. ^ Rodewalt & Tragakis, 2003
  9. ^ James, 1890
  10. ^ Crocker and Park, 2004
  11. ^ Baumeister, Smart, & Boden, 1996
  12. ^ Mruk, 2006
  13. ^ From the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health from the University of California, San Francisco. The University of California San Francisco ( UCSF) is one of the world's leading centers of Health sciences research Patient care, and education Online at http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Psychosocial/notebook/selfesteem.html#Measurement, retrieved 2008-02-25
  14. ^ Baumeister 2005
  15. ^ Baumeister, 2003

References

Contingencies of self-worth references

Further reading

External links

Nathaniel Branden, né Nathan Blumenthal (born 9 April 1930 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada) is a psychotherapist Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states

Dictionary

self-esteem

-noun

  1. Personal feelings or opinions of oneself
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