Question

We often hear the terms self-esteem and self-concept used interchangeably. However, they are not entirely the same. For this discussion, answer the following as it relates to these terms:

How are these terms similar and how are they different?

What factors impact the development of an adolescent's self-esteem?

Answer 1

• Self-concept and self-esteem are closely related concepts in psychology that deal with this perception of self. Because of their similarities, many people tend to treat them as synonyms.
• Knowledge about oneself is called self-concept. It is similar to knowledge we have about others as to what they feel and how they react to things and issues. We know what our friend likes to eat, the games he enjoys playing, and the kind of movies he loves to watch. The same facts about self-lead to knowledge about us.
• Self-concept is made of self-esteem and self-efficacy. Self-esteem is one’s positive or negative evaluation based upon success or failure in life and also feedback from others. On the other hand, self-efficacy stems from belief in one’s ability to accomplish a task.
• Self-esteem is the evaluation of self on a scale that can range from negative to positive. It is usually a perception that is based upon feedbacks one receives from other important people in his life, as well as his own thoughts about himself. People with a high self-esteem are those who have a high self-worth.
• On the other hand, people with a low self-esteem have a low self-worth. If you are confident about yourself, it reflects in your attitude and others gain a perception that you have a high self-esteem. In other words, self-esteem can be equated with regard or respect one has for him.
• Self-concept is informative in nature and does not lead to evaluation as is the case with self-esteem.
• There are positive or negative feelings in the case of self-esteem whereas self-concept is knowledge about self.
• Self-concept is more of cognitive aspect about self while self-esteem is more of an evaluation of self and is emotional in nature.
• Adolescence is an important stage for the development of the self-esteem, it is a stage from childhood to adulthood.
• During this time, adolescents become more cognitively sophisticated, the realities of the society might help them to have a clearer understanding of their abilities. The changes in physical and social development could decrease self-esteem.
• Therefore, Adolescence is a critical stage for the development of self-esteem and it is of great importance to analyze different factors that boost or impair self-esteem.
• The influencing factors on self-esteem can be various. Biology and cognitive development play important roles in regard of influencing self-esteem.
• Family setting is important when considering developing adolescents' characters and personal traits. The relationships between the pparents and the adolescent form a significant basis for adolescents to develop a healthy self-image.
• According to previous studies, parental pattern may influence the self-esteem of adolescents. A research made by Van Volkom (2009) revealed that college women who felt over-protected in the early years as well as currently may have low self-esteem.
• The possible explanation would be: children receive a negative message from their parents that they cannot take care of themselves, they also do not receive encouragement or trust from their parents regarding their abilities to handle different matters. These two factors lead to low self-esteem.
• Divorce does have a negative impact on children's self-esteem.Children whose parents are in the stage of divorce are more likely to have problems with anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, and sadness.
• Even the health condition of the parents can affect adolescents' self-esteem. A research taken in Nepal found that children with parents who suffer from leprosy have significantly lower self-esteem than children whose parents do not have.
• For adolescents, school is the place where they spend most of the daily time. In the school, they interact with teachers, students, and administrators.
  
• Violence in school has always been a big problem, students may receive maltreatment from students as well as teachers.
• When adolescents seek independence from their parents, they may spend more time with their peers and interact more often with their peers.
• Peer influence on self-esteem become more apparent when the children enter the phase of adolescence, and the quality of the friendship plays the most important part in deciding adolescents' self-esteem.
• Teenage phase is all about acceptance in groups and getting the attention which also has an impact on adolscents.The will to be surrounded by a large group of friends and becoming in school and getting approval from peers also affects self esteem.
• When acceptance doesnt happen then teenagers do suffere from low self esteem problems and may resort to depression or even drug abuse.
• Comparing her body to the images she sees in the media can also affect how she sees herself; if she's unable to afford the most popular clothing or is larger or smaller than popular musicians and actors, she may feel inferior to both her peers and celebrities.