Self-esteem

Self-Esteem Across Cultures and Developmental Stages

• The United States values high self-esteem to a greater extent than people in other countries.

Self-Esteem and Social Comparisons

• In middle childhood, self-esteem is negatively correlated with social comparisons, meaning that frequent social comparisons can lead to lower self-esteem.

Consequences of Low Self-Esteem

• In Western countries, having low self-esteem in middle childhood can lead to negative consequences, such as depression and anxiety.

Contributors to Overall Self-Esteem

• For most children and adolescents, the area of academic competence is the strongest contributor to overall self-esteem.

Combining Self-Concepts

• Children combine their different areas of self-concept (e.g., academic, athletic, social) into an overall level of self-esteem by weighing their strengths and weaknesses in each area.

Self-Concept and Overall Self-Esteem

• Low athletic self-concept has no effect on overall self-esteem if the individual has high self-concepts in other areas (e.g., academic, social).

Cultural Differences in Self-Esteem

• In some East Asian cultural settings, self-criticism is valued as a virtue and high self-esteem is considered a character problem.

Developmental Transitions and Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem declines slightly as children enter a school environment during the transition from preschool to elementary school.

Cross-Cultural Research on Self-Esteem

• Individualistic countries (e.g., the United States) have higher self-esteem scores than collectivist countries (e.g., Japan, China).

Self-Concept Areas

• Children have self-concepts for specific areas, including academic, athletic, social, and physical appearance.

Self-Concept and Overall Self-Esteem

• Self-concept in specific areas contributes to overall self-esteem, with the strongest contributor being academic competence.