Self-Esteem

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Self-Esteem

• Ch. 1
• Section 2

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Building Self-Esteem Preview Activity

• In a group of 3 make a list of events that happen
  in school that can increase a persons
  self-esteem.
• Make a second list of events that happen in
  school that can lower a persons self-esteem.
• Choose one event from each list and explain to
  the class how these event can affect self-esteem.

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Objectives and Vocabulary

• Compare the effects of high and low self-esteem.
• Describe the changes in self-esteem that can
  occur as people age.
• Identify way to achieve and maintain high
  self-esteem.
• Self-esteem

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Self-Esteem and Your Health

• How do you decide what movie to see?
• Everyone, including you has opinions about
  movies, clothes, food, and other people.
• You may not be aware of it, but you also have an
  opinion about yourself.

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• Self-Esteem refers to how much you respect
  yourself and like yourself.
• Think of self-esteem as a continuum, ranging from
  high to low.
• ?-------------------------------------------?
• high low
• Many psychologists think that high self-esteem
  has a positive effect on health, while low
  self-esteem has a negative effect on health. Do
  you agree?

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Benefits of High Self-Esteem

• People with high self-esteem accept themselves
  for who they are.
• Realistic view of their strengths and weaknesses.
• Maintain a positive attitude even when they fail
  a task
• Form close relationships with people who respects
  and value them because they value themselves.

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More Benefits!

• Research has shown that if you feel good about
  yourself, you will be more likely to ...
• Eat well
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid risky behaviors
• More likely to set goals for yourself
• Ask for help when needed
• And bounce back quickly from setback and
  disappointments.

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Risks of Low Self-Esteem

• People with low self-esteem dont have much
  respect for themselves.
• They judge themselves harshly and worry to much
  about what others think of them.
• May put on an act in public to impress others
  and hide insecurities.
• Fear of failure and looking bad may prevent them
  from trying new things.
• Negative thoughts I cant do this or Im not
  smart enough make it difficult to succeed.

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More Risks

• Studies show that teens with low self-esteem are
  more likely than peers to
• Use drugs
• Drop out of school
• Become pregnant
• Suffer from eating disorders
• Engage in violent or self-destructive behaviors

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Journal Break

• Do you have high or low self-esteem? How does
  your self-esteem affect the way you behave?

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How can you boost your self-esteem

• What are some ways to boost your self-esteem?
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Focus on your strengths
• Identify and develop your talents
• Form close relationships
• Set goals for yourself
• Avoid risky behaviors
• Ask for help
• Help Others!

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How Self-Esteem Develops

• Self-Esteem is not consistent.
• It can increase or decrease as people interact
  with their family, their peers, and their
  community.
• On average self-esteem drops in early
  adolescence, increases gradually during
  adulthood, and decreases again toward the end of
  life.
• Why do you think that is?

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Childhood

• Young children need support and encouragement
  from family members.
• If they have a chance to succeed at small tasks
  and to build skills, they are likely to become
  confident individuals.
• Most children enter with relatively high
  self-esteem and gradually it declines.
• This may be because children start to compare
  themselves to others or may receive more negative
  feedback from teachers, parents, peers.

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Adolescence

• Normal to be critical of appearance, abilities,
  interests and shortcomings.
• Some teens are overly self-conscious, and judge
  themselves too harshly.
• May compare themselves to the best athletes or
  most attractive celebrities.
• You receive messages about your appearance,
  gender, cultural group, and values from the
  media.
• What are some of these messages?

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Adulthood

• Adults begin to accomplish their goals and take
  control of their lives.
• Better able to keep things in perspective
• Researchers are not sure why self-esteem tends to
  decrease in older adults.
• May be caused by health problems or limited roles
  for older adults in society.

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Improving Self-Esteem

• How can you achieve and maintain high
  self-esteem?
• Dont base your self-esteem solely on other
  peoples opinions of you. Focus on your
  accomplishments, your talents, and your
  contributions to your family and your community.

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Reinforcing a positive self image Activity!

• For this activity you will need a piece of paper
  and a writing utensil.
• A timer will be set for 5 minutes.
• In this time write down EVERYTHING positive about
  yourself.
• You can use single words, phrases or sentences.
• Write down whatever comes to mind.
• Avoid any negative comments!
• When the time is up. Read it over to yourself
  and journal your thoughts/feelings.

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Additional tips to boost self-esteem

• Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.
• Set ambitious, but realistic goals for yourself.
• Do not be too hard on yourself.
• Rely on your values.
• Learn to accept compliments.
• Look beyond your own concerns.
• Do not focus too much on appearance.

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Section 2 Review

• Please answer these questions on a clean sheet of
  paper in your journal.
• 1. Define self-esteem. Explain the effects that
  high and low self-esteem may have on health.
• 2. In general, what happens to self-esteem during
  adolescence? Explain why this change occurs.
• 3. Identify three things you should focus on if
  you want to improve your self-esteem.
• 4. Describe something that you accomplished in
  the past year that made you feel proud and
  explain why.