You Can be Great If You Really Want To

This article explores some of the consequences of low self esteem among young adults. Unfortunately, many of society’s ills can be traced back to insufficient parenting and the lack of confidence building, among a myriad of other factors. There is little research done to suggest that mending self esteem alone can prevent bullying, teenage pregnancy or drug abuse, but many psychologists feel that programs to help people develop self esteem need to be more widely implemented in schools and communities across America in response to some of the problems we face as a nation.

As reported by a recent newsletter published by National Association for Self-Esteem, young children usually base their self-esteem mostly on the feedback they get from others, with the parents exercising the greatest influence. After the age of four, they begin to consider their capabilities at various activities. By age seven, kids typically base their self-esteem on three areas: academic success, social acceptance and physical competence. As they approach adolescence, they shift from the need for input from parents to feedback from peers. At this age, their degree of self-worth is usually founded on six domains or contingencies: social acceptance, inherent abilities, believing they are unique and worthy of respect, feeling in control of one’s being, moral virtue or integrity, and one’s attainments, including academic success. How an individual appears to others, physical abilities, and popularity become especially significant at this age, although these are all external sources for self-esteem.

The prevalence of acquisitiveness is a result of low self worth for a number of individuals. A recent study discovered that low self-esteem actually caused more materialism, however, the converse was likewise a fact — that increasing self-esteem could diminish consumerism. It was established that teenagers were normally gaining self-worth from the ages of 8 to13, yet undergoing low self esteem from 13 to 18 as they transitioned towards being an adult. By the time children arrive at early adolescence and undergo a reduction in self-worth, the foundation has been laid for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth. By priming high self-esteem, the study concluded, it is possible to turn around the big decline in self-worth experienced by young teenagers, thus lowering the steep rise in consumerism among this age group.

Psychologists have long studied the connection between individuals with low self esteem and bullying. In his 1997 book Evil: Inside Human Violence & Cruelty, Roy Baumeister suggests that the most hostile group of bullies actually have high esteem but are unstable. “These people think well of themselves in general, but their self-esteem fluctuates,” he explains. “They are especially prone to react defensively to ego threats, and they are also more prone to hostility, anger and aggression than other people. The bully has a chip on his shoulder because he thinks you might want to deflate his favorable self-image.” A number of violent crimes occur in response to self esteem blows like insults or humiliation. In the household, abusive husbands typically came from backgrounds of less affluence, less education and less financial security and therefore use violence as a way to put their wives down and assert their “superiority.”

Approximately 8% of all Americans suffer from some sort of eating disorder. Of those people, 100% suffer from low self esteem. For people with eating disorders, researcher HC Steinhausen states, “A profile of self-concept components that are characteristic of low self-esteem are insecurity, negative mood and depression, poor body image, feelings of inadequacy, social and personal withdrawal, poor adaptation skills and unrealistically high aspirations.” Anorexics and bulimics often begin to suffer from poor esteem as they go through puberty and their bodies change. Life transitions to new schools, new social peer groups, new work-loads and increased stress can also have devastating effects on young men and women. People with eating disorders generally see physical manipulation of their bodies as a means to happiness and the curing of all their problems, much like people who become addicted to plastic surgery.

Low self esteem effects and consequences are wide ranging and can have a significant impact on a person’s life, not just emotionally but through the choices they make. Visit our site to find out more about building self esteem and living a better life.