Title: Cause of Poor SelfEsteem and Ways of Enhancing It
1Cause of Poor Self-Esteem and Ways of Enhancing It
- National Conference Partnerships for
- Reducing Youth Suicide.
- 7th 9th December 2005,
- Kilkenny Ormond Hotel,
- Irish Association of Suicidology.
2Self-Esteem
- Self-esteem is viewed as a communal problem for
Irish people, - who worry that inadequate self-esteem leads to
various - undesirable behaviours.
3Human Beings
- Capacity for self-reflection.
- Good sense of self / self-esteem necessary for
adaptive functioning.
4Self as I (Butler, 2001)
- Subjective knower of the self
- Continuity of self.
- Separateness of self (from others).
- Self-reflection.
5Self as Me
- Objective aspects of self
- Self-presentation to others.
- Measurement of self.
6- In general low self-esteem associated with
- Depression.
- Schizophrenia.
- Drug and alcohol abuse.
- Suicidal attempts.
7- In general low self-esteem associated with
- Hopelessness.
- Academic failure.
- Excessive criticism by significant others.
- Physical sexual abuse.
- Lack of external support, praise, or kind word.
8- But Emler (2001, Review) found that low
self-esteem in general - not associated with
- More criminal behaviour.
- More use of illegal drugs, alcohol, smoking, or
fail academically.
Emler N. (2001). Self-esteem The costs and
causes of low self-esteem. J. Rowntree
Foundation York Publishing Services Ltd.
9Self
- Self concept overarching view of self.
- Self-esteem evaluative aspects.
- Self-image characteristics available to
individual. - Self-efficacy notion of self-competency.
10- Piers E. V., Herzberg D. S. (2002). Piers
Harris Two Childrens - self-concepts Scale LACA Western Psychological
Services. - Coopersmith S. (1981). Coopersmith Self-Esteem
Inventory Palo - Alto CA Consulting Psychologist Press.
11- Harter S. (1985). Self-perception profile for
children. Denver CO - University of Denver Press.
- Harter S. (1988). Self-perception profile for
adolescents. Denver - CO University of Denver Press.
- Butler R. J. (2001). The self-image profiles.
London The - Psychological Corporation.
12Childhood Factors and Self-esteem
- Children who have a history of early separation
from parents or - threats of separation, fear of abandonment, are
more likely to be - depressed and have lower self-esteem.
- Children enmeshed with their parents have lower
self-esteem. - Suicidal children have a poor self-image or poor
sense of - themselves and often see themselves as bad or
hateful or the - cause of family problems and feel the family
would be better - off if they were out of the way through suicide.
13Suicidal Behaviour
- Chronic stress erodes self-esteem and leads to a
sense of - hopelessness and then depression and suicidal
ideas.
14Hopelessness and Self-esteem
- Suicidal children show considerable hopelessness,
depression, - low self-esteem, negative self evaluation,
insomnia, decreased - concentration, indecisiveness, lack of reactivity
of mood, social - withdrawal, irritability, temper tantrums, low
energy, and school - work not done.
15- Lack of confidentiality about a childs problems
in school will lead - to a devastating fall in self-esteem.
- Breakdown of relationships lowers self-esteem
often critically. - Adolescent conflicts, identity diffusion, body
image problems can all - interfere with self-esteem.
- Unpopular boys and girls clearly have lower
self-esteem and a - much increased risk of suicidal behaviour.
16Fathers of Suicide Attempters
- Low self-esteem.
- More depression.
- More alcohol abuse.
17- Bullying Ireland versus Norway
18- Floccinaucinihilipilification the action or
habit of estimating as - worthless.
- Persons with low self-esteem are negative about
themselves and - about everything.
19Adolescents
- Falling behind not suceeding
- Academically.
- Sports.
- Relationships (ASP or ADHD).
- Teasing, bullying, ostracisation.
20Family Profile of Members who attempt Suicide
- Many members have low self-esteem.
- Poor family self-image.
- Isolated families.
- Inflexible family style.
- Much family depression.
21Family Profile of Members who attempt Suicide
- Much family conflict.
- Much familyhopelessness.
- Much family aggression.
- Very poor family communication.
- Chaotic or authoritarian parenting.
22Family Profile of Members who attempt Suicide
- Poor individuation of family members i.e. each
member does not have a separate, self-image or
identity. - High negative expressed emotions leading to low
self-esteem and stunting of emotional growth. - Low levels of warmth and empathy.
23Family Profile of Members who attempt Suicide
- Children idealisation of parents and turn
negative feeling and hatred on themselves lower
self-esteem even further. - Self-blame by children for family problems
further lowering self-esteem. - Children feel the family would be better off
without them.
24Family Summary
- A lack of generational boundaries.
- Severe marital conflict.
- Negative parental feelings projected into the
child. - A symbiotic parent / child relationships.
- An inflesible family system.
- Individuals feel and often are out of control.
25James Joyce
- Portrait of the artist as a young man school
method of reduding - self-esteem.
26Undiagnosed ADHD
- Poor attention and concentration.
- Poor organisation.
- Loses things.
- Distractible.
- Hyperactive impulsive.
27Undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome
- Loner.
- Eccentric.
- Bullied.
- Poor social know-how.
28Capacity for Self-esteem Regulation
- Internal dialogue teach.
- Talking to friends teach social skills.
- Self-esteem can be enhanced through group work
and social skills training and problem solving
skills work.
29Developing Good Internal Objects
- Good internal objects lead to good self-esteem.
Teachers can be - part of these internal objects.
- The enhancement of self-esteem is regarded as a
pivotal factor in - childrens psychological development.
- A good teacher at times needs a blind eye and a
deaf ear.
30Self-esteem Improved By
- Good peer skills.
- Sensitive teachers.
- Sensitive parents.
- Success of any kind.
31Self-esteem Improved By
- Nothing succeeds like success.
- Sporting or success in any field.
- Healthy schools.
32- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for negative
thinking. - Negative voices from the past.
33- The aim of treatment is to modify the childs
negative perception of - themselves and to increase self-esteem.
- Trust is critical.
- The childs view of the world as hopeless has to
be challenged but - one has to be honest with the patient and
consistent in ones - actions and statements. Children are more at
risk of suicidal - behaviour when they have experienced a loss,
where their self- - esteem has fallen, where they feel themselves out
of control, and - feel their school life is out of control.
34Therapy for Low Self-esteem
- Self-monitoring.
- Identifying negative thoughts and feelings.
- Learning how to control these internal critical
attitudes. - Exercises to practice newly acquired skills.
35- Adolescent gang activity way of increasing
self-esteem. - James joyce group re-grouped after beating and
went to headmaster. - Youth culture can play a protective role acting
as a source of self-esteem and playing a critical
part in the development of self-identity.
36Criticisms of the Self-esteem Movement
- Boosting peoples sense of self-worth has become
a national - preoccupation. Yet surprisingly research shows
that such efforts - are of little value in fostering academic
progress or preventing - undesirable behaviour.
- Scientific Americian, January 2005.
37Criticisms of the Self-esteem Movement
- Vasconcellos a Californian politician claimed
that raising self- - esteem in young people would reduce crime, teen
pregnancy, drug - abuse, school under achievement, pollution, and
balance the - state budget i.e. persons with high self-esteem
earn more money - and pay more taxes.
38Criticisms of the Self-esteem Movement
- Some findings even suggest that artificially
boosting self-esteem - may lower subsequent academic performance. Dont
forget the - 3 Rs back to basics.
- Scientific American, January 2005.
39Criticisms of the Self-esteem Movement
- Two groups of students studied. One group were
told that their - grades were very good and their self-esteem was
boosted. - A second group got a message instilling a sense
of personal - responsibility for their academic performance.
- The group whose self-esteem was boosted dropped
their grades by - 50 while those who were told that it was their
responsibility to - get better grades improved their grades.
40Criticisms of the Self-esteem Movement
- Persons with high self-esteem are less inhibited,
more willing to - disregard risks and more prone to engage in sex.
At the same time - bad sexual experiences and unwanted pregnancies
appear to lower - self-esteem.
- A study of 2000 students in New Zealand found no
correlation - between self-esteem measured between the ages of
9 and 13 and - drinking or drug use at 15.
41Genuine Finding
- People with high self-esteem tend to show more
initiative and - appear to be significantly happier than others.
42- Bullies, contrary to popular perception, do not
typically suffer from - low self-esteem. Neither do those who become
sexually active at - an early age, nor do those prone to abusing
alcohol or illicit drugs.
43- Raising self-esteem is not likely to boost
performance in school or - on the job.
44- Low self-esteem can contribute to illicit drug
use. Declining levels - of academic motivation cause self-esteem to drop,
which in turn - led to marijuana use.
- Thrill seeking or novelty seeking are factors in
drinking and drug - abuse.
- Any theory which explains everything like
self-esteem explains - nothing.
45- When self-esteem measured by external raters high
self-esteem was associated with ability to
initiate new social contacts and friendships. - It was not associated by them being better at
asserting themselves and response to objectional
behaviours by others and they were also not
better at providing emotional support and even
better at managing interpersonal conflicts.
46- Former teachers didnt always spend their time
building self- - esteem and spent it encouraging personal
responsibility and - performing better. They werent all wrong.
- Dont throw the baby out with the bath water.
47- Many geniuses that I studied experienced low
self-esteem and it - didnt prevent them from producing creative work
of genius.
48- It is probably negative for schools to boost
self-esteem at the - expense of good teaching.
- Self-esteem junkies.
- No link between physical attractiveness and
measures of self- - esteem.
49- Controversies in the self-esteem arena.
- Back to basics.
- Nothing succeeds like success.
- Giving children meaningful success experiences.
50- Praise has to be earned. Praise is only
effective when it is given - for genuine achievement. For a child with
special needs this may - be a very small improvement but is nevertheless
real. - Praise given willy-nilly is not helpful and is
probably damaging.