Self esteem development in the classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Self esteem development in the classroom - Essay Example 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 individual's level of self-esteem is determined mainly by the feedback received from the social environment, including home and school. 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 individual's 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 children's 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). Childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s self-concept is further formed when they enter school. At this level children become alert of the fact whether they are approved by others and are included in activities or because they are disliked and are often left alone. Children also become conscious of their talents and limitations from the feedback they get from teachers and fellow students (O’Toole, 1995). Two psychological processes deal with the evaluation of social feedback that includes self-evaluation and self-worth. For each person, the real-self and the ideal-self are different because the ideal-self includes what a person would like to turn into. This difference is vital, however, because without some level of goal, children and adults become inadequately adjusted. It is normal, and in far praiseworthy, for a person to be constantly working hard. Yet, the smaller the difference between the real-self and the ideal-self, the greater confidence the individual will have, and the greater will be his/her abil ity to attain a high level of self-esteem. On the other hand, when there is a huge difference between the real-self and ideal-self, the individual is more prone to have a low self-esteem (O’Toole, 1995). Global Self-Esteem Global Self-Esteem Academic Non-Academic English Math Science Other Social Physical Parents Others Appearance Skill Figure 2 The Self-Esteem Hierarchy Global self-esteem is a person’s total feeling of self-esteem which becomes steady as the child grows (Marsh et al., 1984). Tasks that do not