VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
NOVEMBER 24, 2009
SELF ESTEEM: IS YOURS TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW? MICDS
Too High? Or Too Low? value, and acceptance? Are there any signs of low or high self esteem? Can you have too high self esteem? How do you improve your self-esteem? Does how you grow up affect your self esteem? How does the media affect your self-esteem? First, there is no scientific way to measure self-esteem, but when someone has high or low self esteem there are signs. Signs such as taking pride in one’s skill for people with high self-esteem. People with low– self esteem feel like they are not accepted or that they cannot do well in anything.
Self esteem is defined as how much we feel valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others — and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves (3). How do you measure someone’s love,
There are ways to take high self esteem too far such as over inflation of abilities, and the feeling of superiority over others (10). These habits can be created by over-complimentary people who are respected and admired in their life (10): people such as teachers, peers, coaches, and
parents. You can improve your self esteem by exercising, trying new things, helping others, and basically anything where criticism does not come in to play. Growing up with dolls and magazines full of people with unrealistic proportions can give people from the start an unrealistic view of beauty. Campaigns by Dove have started to put commercials on T.V. to point out to parents that buying a Barbie for your little girl, or a G.I. Joe for your little boy may be fun for a few years but can cause problems with children later on about how they think they should look and act.
With a poor job market now people are being told for the first time that they are no longer good enough. Has enforcing such optimism ended up hurting the children of the future by finally giving them a taste of reality?
Children are giving ―A’s‖ every day for trying hard, but not getting it right. In standardized testing of Japanese students vs. Americans, the Japanese out performed Americans on their tests, but the American elementary school students felt better about their work after the test (4). This is not what should be happening; it shows that kids are being taught that even if it is completely wrong. In the real world merit and education are
Only 56% of 7th graders say they like the way they look. (9) More than 90% of girls (ages 15-17) want to change at least one aspect of their looks. Nearly 1/4 would consider undergoing plastic surgery and 13% acknowledge having an eating disorder. (9) Children with very low self-esteem were 1.6x more likely to meet the criteria for drug dependence nine years later than other children. (9)
The main thing in self esteem is a healthy balance between a bruised ego and an inflated selfview.
Is America Making too Big of a Deal About People Getting Their Feelings Hurt? Has the current generation been put on a pedestal? With 5th grade graduations, and awards for good-sportsmanship?
Special points of interest:
valued way more than effort. By releasing college kids with the selfesteem of being able to achieve anything they dream of, ends up to hurting them because they end up feeling rejection for the first time at something that they learned was the thing to do. With one rejection comes more rejection, and more dampening of self-esteem that was once built up by superficial compliments (2).
Table of Contents Too High ? Or Too Low?
1
Is American Making too Big of a Deal About People
1
Media’s Affect on People’s Idea of Beauty
2
Toys’Affect on Children
2
Critiquing
3
Perfectionists
3
Bibliography
4