Self esteem development in the classroom Free Essay Example, 4000 words

SELF-ESTEEM DEVELOPMENT IN ROOM BY Introduction ‘Self-esteem is a person’s inner appreciation or assessment of him or herself. It matters because people who do not value themselves – who have low self-esteem – treat themselves and others badly. Thus low self-esteem can be seen as a major factor in abuse, addiction, crime, depression, loneliness, low educational achievement, mental illness and unhappiness. People high in self-esteem are often creative, joyful, fun to be with and productive’ (Alexander, 2001). Initially acknowledged by James (1890), self-esteem is defined as a ‘belief and self-confidence in your own ability and value. † Thus, self-esteem is increasingly becoming better described and might be understood as an evaluative process by which individuals assess the differences between self-image (how we are) and, the ideal-self (how we want to be). Figure 1 The Structure of Self-Esteem Defining Self-Esteem Coppersmith (1967) considers self-esteem to be "the evaluation that the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to him/herself. It expresses an attitude of approval or disapproval and indicates the extent to which the individual believes him/herself to be capable, significant and worthy". The definitions described above illustrate that an individuals level of self-esteem is determined mainly by the feedback received from the social environment, including home and school. We will write a custom essay sample on Self esteem development in the classroom or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It is important to note that all the beliefs and images which individuals possess as an essential part of their self-concept are not an innate element of an individuals self concept. Individuals are all born with certain observable physical attributes and untouched capability, but no one was born with completely developed understandings that s/he is gifted or stupid, ugly or good looking, extrovert or introvert. Most of the images and beliefs which one possesses about oneself as adults are acquired before adulthood. The source of an individual’s self-concept starts from how others treat them and what they tell them about the individuals. Newborns develop an overall impression in relation to whether they are cherished or not based on the extent to which they are treated. In early childhood, the development of childrens self-concept is effected to a large extent by non-verbal communication. In adolescence, when the language skills are developed , they begin to decipher those general expressions into words and expressions (O’Toole, 1995). Children’s self-concept is further formed when they enter school.