The Forty Developmental Assets in The Pigman by Paul Zindel

615 Words2 Pages

Seventy five percent of girls have low self-esteem, and they have engaged in harmful activities. Self- esteem is only one of the Forty Developmental Assets. What are the Forty Developmental Assets? They are a set of building blocks that helps teenagers and people build up a healthy life. All good friends should have the Developmental Assets. In the novel, The Pigman by Paul Zindel, Lorraine Jensen demonstrates being caring, but she is missing self-esteem and positive peer influence.
First, the character of Lorraine Jensen is missing a very important asset which is number thirty-eight, Self-esteem. This is when a teenager has a high self-esteem level. One example is how her mother is always putting her down and saying mean things to her. For example, Lorraine says, “ ‘You're not a pretty girl Lorraine,’ my mom has been nice enough to inform me on a few occasions,’ ”(11). This shows that Lorraine’s mother is causing a negative effect on Lorraine when she says these things. It is causing her to be very self-conscience. Furthermore, “I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry because I thoug...

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