5 factors that influence self awareness and self esteem

In this study note we explain the three related ideas of self-concept, self-image and self-esteem and how emotional development changes through the life stages.

Self-Concept

Self-concept is how someone sees themselves and the perception that they hold about their abilities. There are various factors that can affect self-concept, these include: age, sexual orientation, gender and religion. The self-concept is also made up of a combination of self-esteem and self-image.

Self-esteem refers to a person’s feelings of self-worth or the value that they place on themselves.

There are a number of characteristics of high and low self-esteem.

Characteristics of high self-esteem

• Willing to try new things in their life
• Can cope well under pressure
• Emotionally stable and confident
• Happy to share their ideas and experiences

Characteristics of low self-esteem

• Feels worthless
• Reluctant to try new things
• Struggles in new or challenging circumstances
• Do not value their own opinions and sensitive to the opinions of others

Factors affecting self esteem

• Parents/carers teaching problem solving skills from a young age (so that a child feels a sense of achievement) can lead to a positive self-esteem.
• Learning difficulties at school can lead to a child struggling to complete work or maintain friendships, which can lead to negative self-esteem.

Self-Image

Self-image refers to the way an individual sees themselves, both physically and mentally. An individual’s self-image is developed over time and influenced by the experiences they have encountered.

There are a number of characteristics of a positive and negative self-image.

Characteristics of a positive self-image

• Feels confident
• Compares themselves positively with peers
• Content with how they look and has belief in their own ability
• Positive feedback received from friends and family on looks and abilities

Characteristics of a negative self-image

• Doubts own ability
• Compares themselves negatively with peers and images on social media/TV/magazines
• Received negative comments from friends and family on physical appearance or mental ability

Factors affecting self-image

• Early childhood experiences and social interactions eg parents who pass positive comments to a child can help contribute to a positive self-image.
• Life events or roles eg a child who is captain of the rugby team is more likely to have a positive self-image that a child who is bullied at school

Emotional Development through the life stages

Infancy

During this stage, infants develop a sense of self and positive self-esteem through secure attachments with their caregivers. This starts with their basic needs being met as a baby.

Early Childhood

By the age of four, the child’s self-esteem develops further through the support they receive outside of the family. Being able to solve problems through puzzles will enhance self-esteem, as will involving the children in scenarios where their opinion is sought. Children who do not receive these experiences may develop low self-esteem.

Adolescence

Several factors affect self-esteem during adolescence. These can include stress within the home, or at school, or a combination of the two. Coupled with the changes that occur during puberty, these can all have an impact on self-image too.

Being bullied or not being accepted by your peers can have detrimental effects on a young person’s self-esteem and can feed into way they feel about themselves. This can lead to anxiety and depression and a sense of not belonging, all characteristics of having low self-worth. This can be intensified by peer pressure, the use of images in the media, social media and the increase in cyberbullying.

Adulthood

Self-esteem continues to develop through adulthood and an individual’s self-esteem may increase through the achievements they have made which, in turn, increases self-worth. During adulthood a person develops a real understanding of who they are and how to deal with situations more effectively and with more confidence.

Purpose: This research has been conducted in order to understand the major factors that affect self-esteem of adolescents.

Methods: Data was collected by questionnaires from 1155 students at middle and high school in Seoul and Kyungkido, Korea. The Instrument tools utilized in this study were self-esteem, body-image, problematic behavior, depression, school adjustment, social support tool and thoroughly modified to verify validity and reliability. The collected data have been analyzed using SPSS 11.0 program. The variable of family harmony and counseling partner was treated as a dummy variable. Seven outliers which were bigger than 3 in absolute value were found, so after taking them off, Multiple Regression was used for further analysis.

Result: The major factors that affect self-esteem of adolescents were depression, social support, body-image, problematic behavior, school adjustment, and family harmony, which explained 54.7% of self-esteem.

Conclusion: It has been confirmed that the regression equation model of this research may serve as a self-esteem prediction factors in adolescents.

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