Psychology of self esteem Termpaper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Psychology of self esteem Termpaper - Essay Example To some extent self esteem is synonymous to confidence but in literal words it means a feeling of pride in one's self, in other words what do you think about yourself; if you think good about yourself then you have a high self esteem while on the other hand if you think low about yourself then you are suffering from low self esteem issues. Self esteem is crucial and a cornerstone of a positive attitude towards living. It is very important because it affects how you think, act and even how you relate to other people. It allows you to live life to your potential. Low self esteem means poor confidence and it causes negative thoughts, which means that you are likely to give up easily rather than face challenges. In addition, it has a direct bearing on your happiness and wellbeing. "What is the most important thing for a person starting out on the road to success?" "I would tell them the most important thing is to work on your self esteem, that's the best advice I can give" (Wagner, †Å"Larry King Live†) Hence here we know how important it is in character and lives building but what role can our parent's play towards it? how can a family contribute in developing their child's self esteem? Healthy self esteem is a child's shield against the challenges of life, kids who feel good about themselves end up handling their problems and matters in a much mature way because they believe in their selves and their capabilities but self esteem can also be defined as feelings of capability defined with feelings of being loved. A child who might have achieved something great but if their parents does not love them then they would feel that whatever they have achieved is in vain or maybe it was not enough to make their parents feel happy. Thus it is important for the parents to inculcate in them the feeling of being loved and even if the child cannot perform well at any platform that would not change the love they have for them. A child will thus feel confident that they have someone to love them forever and the same feeling of confidence and being loved develops in them a high sense of self esteem. Parents are a child’s role model. Children try to copy them and eventually become like them so a parent should always keep tabs on the fact that their actions influence the personalities of their kids. For example if one is pessimistic or unrealistic about oneself and one’s abilities and continues to confess this in front of one’s child, the child might end up believing that may be all individuals are like that. If a parent concentrates on their own self esteem, this act alone can greatly nurture the self esteem of their child. Here Seligman (Stepp 2) offers a great deal of practical advice, he says that according to his research children listen to how adults criticize them and absorb the style of the criticism as well as the substance. Parents should try to identify their child's beliefs and most importantly what do the children thi nk about themselves. Parents need to help kids set more accurate standards and be more realistic in evaluating themselves, this will help them have a healthy self-concept. Bad perceptions about themselves with regards to any aspect of their lives, may make them feel worthless for example if a child is