Self_Esteem

Self-Esteem PSY/220 October 26, 2012 Self-Esteem Many people are accused of having high self-esteem, or low self-esteem, but do not quite understand what self-esteem is. Another problem to consider is how people measure their self worth to decide how high or low their self-esteem is. Self-esteem is defined as the evaluative component of self concept (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009). Simply put it is how a person may feel about his or herself using the levels of feeling of self worth and value they have for themselves. One way people judge their self-esteem is through the contingency of self-worth which is based upon different concepts such as how others view them, how well they may do in school, religious beliefs, their appearance, how much support they receive from family, how well they do competitively, how ethical they are, and many other concepts. For instance, if a person does not do well in school, but others do, his or her self-esteem may be low because he or she views themselves as a failure. Whereas, someone who does well in school takes pride in and feels good in his or herself resulting in higher self-esteem and self-worth. Although self-esteem can be beneficial to how well one does in his or her life it can also cause a person to be self-defeating. For instance, those who measure their self-esteem by outside influences they are always looking to meet the standards of others (Baumgardner & Crothers, 2009). Like in religion if a person follows the teaching of his or hers religion then they are accepted and feel good about themselves. However, if he or she waivers in the teachings and beliefs, of his or her religion, then they feel as if they have failed themselves, and others, which leads to feelings of guilt, pressure, and anxiety. Self-esteem should stem from a person accepting themselves and believing in their personal value no matter what society may think. Self-esteem can be good as long as it is not based on what others, or society may think but what a person thinks or believes about themselves without the outside influences. References: Baumgardner, S.R., & Crothers, M.K. (2009). Positive Psychology . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.