Just what is self-esteem? It is the confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect. Why is self-esteem important? Self-esteem is important because it has an huge effect on your life and the choices or decisions you make. It is the foundation of your very existence, it is the understanding you have about yourself. It is the core of your mental health. People who have high self-esteem have confidence, are happy, have self-respect, can handle challenges and criticism....etc. Those with low self-esteem are more apt to be unhappy, feel worthless, angry, too critical of one's self, poor body image....etc. Can having low self-esteem during adolescence cause foretell problems later in life?
An article in "Developmental Psychology" addresses the question: Can having low self-esteem during adolescence cause foretell problems later in life? It is titled "Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. By: Trzesniewski, Kali H., Donnellan, M. Brent, Moffitt, Terrie E., Robins, Richard W., Poulton, Richie, Caspi, Avshalom." (Trzesniewski, 2006)
This article talks about studies done over the past century relating to self-esteem. As well as, a more current study and its results. Some of the studies indicated that there was a correlation between self-esteem and how a person functions later in life. Some of the studies said that having high self-esteem promotes a better life style, and makes a person more productive in life, that their mental-physical health was better, were less likely to use drugs and had a better outlook in the long run. Some felt that having low self-esteem can cause negative long lasting issues that could cause problems later in lif...
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...to be unemployed as adults. But, the biggest issue it showed was that there was a correlation between the low self-esteem and criminal behavior as an adult. The study stated that children with low self-esteem were 1.48 times higher risk of being convicted of a violent crime and 1.32 times higher risk of being convicted of any crime as an adult.
Works Cited
Trzesniewski, K. H. (2006). Low self-esteem in during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. Developmental Psychology, pp. 381-390.
References
Trzesniewski, K. H., Donnellan, M., Moffitt, T. E., Robins, R. W., Poulton, R., & Caspi, A. (2006). Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 381-390. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.381
...nt Psychology: Individual Bases of Adolescent Development. Ed. Richard M. Lerner and Laurence D. Steinber. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. 576-81. Print
Simons, R. L., Johnson, C., Conger, R. D., & Elder Jr., G. (1998). A test of latent trait versus life-course perspectives on the stability of adolescent antisocial behavior. Criminolgy, 36(2), 217-243. doi: EBSCHOhost
Steinberg, Laurence & Morris, Amanda Sheffield. “Adolescent Development.” Annual Review of Psychology, (Annual 2001): 83-110. [E Journal]
Moffitt, Terrie E. 1993. “Adolescence-Limited and Life-Course-Persistent Antisocial Behavior: A Developmental Taxonomy.” Psychological Review 100:674–701.
The question of whether self- esteem has significance with real world- consequences is a valid concern. Ulrich Orth and Richard W. Robins provide the answer, with evidence contributed by researched studies, in their article The Development of Self- Esteem that self- esteem, in fact, does influence societal significance. With the determination on self- esteem trajectory from adolescence to old age, self- esteem stability, and the relationship between levels of self-esteem and predictions of success and failure, one can conclude that self- esteem influences life outcomes; moreover, people can participate to involvements focused at positively influencing the development of self- esteem.
Affective models of self-esteem assume that self-esteem develops at an early age and is characterized by two types of feelings. One of these feelings which is call feelings of belonging is rooted in social experiences and the other which is feelings of mastery is somewhat more personal
Oswalt, algela “Mental, Emotinal Social changes through puberty –child&adolescent development: puberty”. Seven counties.org.edu.mark dombeck.seven countries services, inc, 2014.web.29Apr.2104.http://sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=38408&cn=1276>
Between 1999 and 2000, Crocker and Luhtanen collected information on the influences of self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth on academic, social, and financial problems experienced by college freshman. The purpose of this study was to see whether formerly collected data that linked low self-esteem to social and academic problems was factual or if these results merely indicated symptoms of low performance or achievement in areas of self-worth in which a person identifies with. The researchers hypothesized that a high, but insecure level of self-esteem based on specific areas in which self-worth is commonly based, such as family; competition, appearance; God’s love; academics; virtue; and approval, were related to academic, social, and
There are many individual-level variables that can explain why juveniles become involved in delinquent acts. One important variable that plays a major role in this is the major affect that family context has on the role of child development. More specifically, the idea of child abuse comes into play that has always been researched and focused on as a major part as to why some juveniles become involved in delinquent acts. Child abuse involves important family characteristics that affect the growth of a child and will ultimately damage them both physically and mentally. If a child is damaged at a young age, then they way they think and perceive the world changes, especially if help is not given to them in their time of need. Child abuse is a serious issue and is a major point that affects juvenile delinquency and the role they play in society, meaning if they have a positive, or negative role and the way they will live their life.
These poor neighborhood conditions may also cause adolescents to be envious of those who are wealthier, discontentment and desires for luxury materials, which may result in committing crimes to satisfy their material needs (Bridge, 1927).
Self-esteem involves evaluations of self-worth. People with high self-esteem tend to think well of others and expect to be accepted them.
adolescent has been found to increase the risk for violent and aggressive behavior and criminality
... have high self-control and self-image; it made complete sense to me as to how a child could become delinquent. Without these important social bonds to society and to the people that we first build relationships with (parents), it is understandable how a person could choose to find structure in a peer group that consists of people with the same low self-control and self-image. With empirical studies that support the self-control theory as an accurate way to predict crime on both a national and international level, the self-control theory has proven to be a great tool as well as worthy of the title the “general theory of crime”. While there is little research to help take the theory further by proving its validity across all contexts of crime, from a sociological view, Gottfredson and Hirschi’s self-control theory is a great theory to help explain criminal behavior.
Hill, P. (1993) Recent Advances in Selected Aspects of Adolescent Development Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Department of Mental health Sciences, St. George’s Hospital Medical School, London, UK
What does having low self-esteem mean? As stated on "UC Davis Medical Center" Low esteem means "A person with low self-esteem feels unworthy, incapable, and incompetent. In fact, because the person with low self-esteem feels so poorly about him or herself, these feelings may actually cause the person 's continued low self-esteem." This can have a negative effect on someone long term or short. The teen might feel alone and this can be causing serious cases like suicidal thoughts. Another can be short term, meaning the teen might be upset for a while but they can get over it.