General Information Thread

What is Self-Esteem?

Self esteem is the opinion you have of yourself. It is based on your attitude to the following:

*Your value as a person
*The job you do
*Your achievements
*How you think others see you
*Your purpose in life
*Your place in the world
*Your potential for success
*Your strengths and weaknesses
*Your social status and how you relate to others
*Your independence or ability to stand on your own feet

I think this sums it up but you may be able to add a few other important factors I have not included here.

What is Low Self Esteem?

Low self esteem results from you having a poor self image caused by your attitude to one or more of the above. Example: you do not value the job you do highly or you feel you have no purpose in your life.


What is High Self Esteem?

High self esteem is the opposite! It is a very important aspect of your life. If you have a high level you will be confident, happy and sure of yourself. You would be highly motivated and have the right attitude to succeed.

Self esteem is therefore crucial to you and is a cornerstone of a positive attitude towards living.



CNN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD WAGNER:

"What is the most important thing for a person starting out on the road to success?"

"I would tell them the most important thing is to work on your self esteem, that's the best advice I can give"


Low Self Esteem can be cured! What you need to do

A poor sense of self esteem can be beaten. Low esteem cannot survive if you follow what I have to say: Believe it, I have done it and you can too.

You can begin living a life filled with happiness and meaning now!

Poor self esteem can be unlearnt so take heart!

Low Self Esteem - Here's what not to do:

Low self esteem feeds on negative messages and thoughts so Don't indulge in self criticism. Why are you joining the other side to wage war against yourself? Silence your inner judge.

Don't always try to please others. It is considerate when you care about others feelings but aren't your needs just as important? Don't neglect yourself!

Don't try to be like someone else. This leads to lack of self worth and confidence. You are unique and you cannot be someone else. Strive to be better yes but don't criticise yourself for not being as successful, as beautiful, as slim or as popular as somone else. You deserve better.


Don't take life or yourself so seriously. Failure just means you are not successful YET. Everybody fails on their way to succeeding, don't look on it as failure but as a means to learning. Perhaps you just need a change of direction. Problems can make you stronger if you strive to overcome them.

Here's what to do:

Self worth, confidence and assuredness will increase when you Focus on your needs and desires. You deserve to live life as you want. This is not selfishness as what you want doesn't hurt others or prevent them from living life on their terms.

Focus on your successes. Lack of confidence feeds on your feelings of failure and inadequacy. Remember the truly successful things you have done in your life. Reward yourself when you do succeed.


Use positive affirmations and quotes. Read them every day or when you are feeling negative and need inspiration.


Use visualisation to achieve your dreams and increase your self esteem!


Focus on your strengths. Use them. You will succeed if you are true to yourself.

Develop and work at achieving your goals. If you do this your confidence will increase and you will feel positive.

Your self criticism will die to nothing as you will know even if you do not succeed you tried all you could. Do your best at everything you try.

Feed your brain. Read inspiring books - they will really help you. Not just any books though, read the best.



How Self-Image Affects Your Self Esteem

Body image affects how you feel about yourself. It's an important factor in self esteem for women, men, adolescents and children. The modern world glorifies the perfect body and if you're a woman it's difficult to be positive if you believe you are fat, ugly, too tall etc. This page focuses on the affects and what to do to improve your image and boost your self esteem.


Image and women

Self esteem in women these days seems dependant on how they think they look. Many women check the scales several times a day.

Image - I'm fat, short, skinny - these are opinions you hold and maybe not true. However, I know people who are fat and happy and others who are slim and unhappy.

Guess what? Some men like large, some small, some thin and some tall. You don't have to be thin to be attractive! Someone will like your appearance and if you have a good feeling about yourself even better!

Your body is unique, enjoy it and love it. Focus on your good points. If someone likes you they will see the good and not the bad. Make yourself worthy of love and like yourself first.

Image and men

Poor image of your body can cause you to have very low self esteem and self confidence.

Men worry about how tall, strong or big they are. The worst thing for men is probably being short. They believe the tall, dark, handsome myth. Most men will suffer low self esteem if they think they are short or too thin. Like women these men can become obsessed.

Many women don't like musclemen and even prefer shorter men. Sensitivity is a real plus.

Image and adolescents

Adolescents worry how they compare and appear to their friends and others. Image and physical appearance are highly important! Teenagers want to look like the stars and pop idols they see on TV. These stars are not average looking people. Adolescents fall into the trap of believing that if they are not like these wonderfully attractive stars they are not worth anything.

Bad self image can be a killer! If people had confidence and liked themselves then eating disorders, bulemia and suicides would decrease.

Raise your self esteem

*Focus on the parts of your body you like
*Dress to emphasis what you have and look good
*Stop comparing yourself to others
*Start an exercise program
*Eat healthy food and stay away from diets
*Play sports as often as you can
*Walk as much as you can
*Don't smoke at all or drink too much
*Write down compliments you receive about how you look
*Straighten up, smile and look straight ahead - you'll look and feel more confident

characterological depression, the depression caused by low self esteem

People with a low self image ... who feel negatively about themselves ... are likely to feel depressed. Low self-esteem is not the only cause of depression. Other possible causes include an actual loss or bereavement, certain medications which have depression as a side effect, and chemical imbalance which leads to a diagnosis of a clinical depression. A person with low self-esteem may become depressed after facing a difficult situation or after having experienced difficulty with a particular task, job or relationship. These types of depression are usually grief reactions to the loss or difficulty and will take some time for the person to get back to normal.


The type of depression that results from a low self-esteem is called characterological depression. This may occur in people who have feelings of inadequacy or inferiority: In other words, in people who have a low opinion or perception of themselves. They may feel that they are unliked by others and they anticipate being rejected. They develop morbid expectations and believe that anything that happens to them will end up being unpleasant. They feel they do not deserve any better and that the world is just unfair. They expect to be belittled so they react to innocent stimuli as being insulting. They become wary and distrustful of relationships and they are thrust into a lonely existence, which only aggravates their depression. Characterological depressions are not helped by anti-depressant medication because they are due to an attitude or mindset problem. In order to come out of the depression and "get back to my old self" you will need to correct your self-image.

The feelings of low self-esteem and inadequacy that are responsible for the depression are unwarranted. People who are in fact endowed with positive personality assets may have an erroneous self concept, whereby they may consider themselves:


dull, when they are really bright;

unattractive, when they are really nice looking;

awkward, when they are really socially adept.

To them this perception is very real, and they adjust to life as if their perception of themselves were factual. With them the glass is always half-empty. In order to shake this type of depression, a person must be willing to bravely re-examine his attitudes, which now form part of his identity, and be willing to take a new personal inventory. This will take effort.

Depression & Building Self Esteem

Depression can devastate your self-esteem, which has been defined as the value or worth you place on yourself and the pride you feel in yourself. Self-esteem also involves accepting your shortcomings, limitations, and even failures. Therefore, knowledge and acceptance of yourself - both your good and bad characteristics - lay the groundwork for developing a healthy sense of self-esteem.

Low self-esteem can keep you from achieving goals and enjoying life fully. Before you can build your self-esteem, just as in the section Thinking Positively, it is helpful to identify and write down negative feelings you have about yourself. Many people with depression tend to focus on these negative feelings. Do you:

Feel different from others?

Feel afraid to interact with others?

Believe you are unable to achieve your goals?

Have feelings of guilt and shame?

Find you're unable to trust your own ideas?

Feel as if people think there is something wrong with you?

Believe you're not as good as other people?

Feel guilty about the effects of your depression on other people?

Write down any other negative thoughts you uncover. Again, sometimes writing your thoughts makes them seem more concrete-and easier to deal with. After you've listed your negative thoughts, the following techniques may help you improve your self-esteem.



Develop the habit of thinking positively about yourself.


Just as suggested in the section on Thinking Positively
http://www.prozac.com/next_steps/thinki ... avId=3.2.5 , write a few sentences to describe what a good person you are, and list positive things about yourself. Be sure to include your special abilities and accomplishments. Don't use any negative words (for example, rather than write "I don't steal," write "I am honest." For example:

"I am a wonderful, unique, and valuable person. I always do the best I can and am competent and responsible. I am honest and trustworthy."



Enjoy your day



It is important to do things you enjoy every day. Too often, we spend our time doing things we don't enjoy, and we don't save time to do the things we like. Make an effort to do an activity you enjoy each day - something that makes you happy and makes you feel better about yourself. Read a novel, play a musical instrument, listen to your favorite music (sing along!), or work at a hobby.


Put laughter in your day


Rent a funny movie, watch a funny TV show, have lunch with a friend who makes you laugh, or read an amusing book.



Do something nice for yourself



Treat yourself as a special person. Buy yourself a gift, take the afternoon off, spend time with a friend, or put flowers in your home or office. Treating yourself like the wonderful person you are is a good way to affirm your self-worth.

It's up to you to change your attitude about yourself, but it's not always easy. You can increase your chances of success by doing things that reinforce the changes you are trying to make. The activities below may help you feel more worthwhile, more productive, and happier with yourself.

Keep in contact with friends and family.

Take a class or go to a workshop to learn something new.

Seek counseling.

Exercise (always talk to your doctor first before attempting any new exercises).

Do some small project you've been putting off.

Avoid people who make you feel bad.

Make a list of other activities that help you feel better. Try to do at least one of these things each day. And when you go to bed at night, remind yourself of all the accomplishments you've had today!

What is healthy self esteem like?

People who have an OK level of self esteem are:

confident without being overbearing

not devastated by criticism

not overly defensive when questioned

active and achievement orientated without being driven

mostly happy with themselves as they are

not easily defeated by setbacks and obstacles

able to accept and learn from their own mistakes

unlikely to feel a need to put others down

open and assertive in communicating their needs

self reliant and resourceful without refusing help

not overly worried about failing or looking foolish

not harshly or destructively critical of themselves

not aggressively driven to prove themselves - people with normal
self esteem are happy with themselves as they are

able to laugh at themselves, not taking themselves too seriously

People with normal self esteem might doubt themselves from time to time but their sense of self worth consistently reverts to a balanced state. Having healthy self esteem does not mean feeling perfect. It is just not being continually plagued by self doubt. Having normal self esteem means not being excessively high one minute and feeling completely worthless the next.


What is low self esteem?

here are two basic low self esteem responses:

1. Feeling down on yourself

feeling overwhelmed by the pace of life

feeling like a failure relative to everyone else

constantly doubting whether you can achieve anything

staying where it's safe, being afraid to try anything too new

behaving timidly and cannot assert yourself

overly depending on others to look after you

finding ways of escaping unpleasant realities

putting little effort into things because you doubt you can be successful

putting yourself down constantly


Got that sinking feeling? Is that how low self esteem feels for you?

2. Feeling angry and getting even


losing your temper at the drop of a hat

being quick to pick a fight

blaming others or circumstances for every setback

constantly finding fault with the world

being negative - nothing is good, everything is horrible

taking pleasure in stories about the troubles of others

taking things out on others

constantly arguing about petty issue


Some stay in one of these positons, others vacilate between them.


We mistakenly compare how we feel with how others behave.

Inevitably, most others will behave more happily than we feel.

So we conclude that no one else could feel as bad as we do.

This creates a vicious circle and our self esteem drops further.

The costs and causes of low self-esteem

There is a widespread view that low self-esteem is a risk factor for a broad range of psychological and behavioural problems. However, neither public discussion nor decisions to invest in prevention and treatment have been strongly informed or guided by hard evidence, either about the effects or the causes of low self-esteem. This review of the available research evidence, by Nicholas Emler (London School of Economics) aimed to fill this gap. The review found that:

There is not perfect agreement among researchers about the nature of self-esteem. The most significant division is between the view that self-esteem is a generalised feeling about the self, and the view that it is the sum of a set of judgements about one's value, worthiness, and competence in various domains.

Despite imperfect agreement about its nature, levels of self-esteem can be reliably and easily measured.

The design of much, perhaps most, published research means it cannot show whether self-esteem has a causal influence on behaviour patterns. The most informative evidence comes from longitudinal studies, following the same individuals over time. This shows that:

- relatively low self-esteem is not a risk factor for delinquency, violence towards others (including child and partner abuse), drug use, alcohol abuse, educational under-attainment or racism;

- relatively low self-esteem is a risk factor for suicide, suicide attempts and depression, for teenage pregnancy, and for victimisation by others. In each case, however, this risk factor is one of several and probably interacts with others;

- there are indications that childhood self-esteem is associated with adolescent eating disorders and with economic outcomes - earnings, continuity of employment - in early adulthood, but the causal mechanisms involved remain unclear.

Low self-esteem in an absolute sense is rare. Most of the comparative research contrasts the consequences of very high self esteem with more moderate levels.

The strongest influences upon self-esteem are the individual's parents. Parenting style, physical and particularly sexual abuse play a significant role, as do genetic factors.

Planned interventions can raise self-esteem but knowledge of why particular interventions work, or whether their effects are more than short term, is very limited.

Background
In recent times low self-esteem has been one of the most popular and frequently invoked psychological explanations for behavioural and social problems. Taking their cue from social commentators and media opinion leaders, people have been willing to accept that a limited sense of self-worth lies behind just about every social and personal ill from drug abuse and delinquency to poverty and business failures. The result has been a huge market for self-help manuals and educational programmes.

The emerging climate has also had its effect on public policy. For example, the converging notions that high self-esteem is both an asset to society and an individual right has had distinct effects in education. Observers have noted a growing disinclination among teachers to criticise or to set high performance standards, through fear that more objective feedback will damage the self-esteem of pupils. At the same time, there has been pressure on educational authorities to bring in programmes of personal development specifically aimed at enhancing and strengthening self-esteem. In the US, the state of California has invested significant public funds in projects to raise the self-esteem of its citizens.

However, despite an extensive body of research which can inform policy and practice, such initiatives - and the public perceptions that lie behind them - have not been securely rooted in evidence. The aim of this study was therefore to determine what is known from research about three key questions:

what are the consequences of low self-esteem?

what factors and conditions determine a person's level of self-esteem?

can self-esteem be raised through planned interventions?

Scientific study of self-esteem

As with many psychological phenomena, scientific progress in understanding self-esteem has two key requirements. The first is clarity of definition: what is self-esteem? The second is the availability of procedures to measure self-esteem. There is also, of course, a mutual dependence between these two requirements.

There is not perfect unanimity within the scientific community as to exactly what self-esteem is, but the major options currently boil down to two. Either self-esteem is primarily an emotional response: it is a generalised feeling about the self that is more or less positive. Or self-esteem is primarily the cumulative result of a set of judgements. These are judgements about one's adequacy across a range of dimensions - intellectual competence, social skills, appearance, physical co-ordination, and so on. According to the first view these judgements are substantially shaped - indeed biased - by the generalised feeling people have towards themselves. According to the second, the generalised feeling is the net result or effect of these more specific judgements.

These alternatives have practical consequences for how self-esteem is measured and there are well-established and widely used procedures based on each of them. There are, moreover, advantages to each kind of procedure. However, the simpler procedures derived from the more emotion-based definition have generally proved more useful and more informative.

The consequences of differing levels of self-esteem

A difficulty in deciding whether low self-esteem does in reality have consequences for behaviour is not the absence of evidence but its highly variable quality. The most informative research is longitudinal. It follows the same individuals over time, preferably a period of several years, and in such a way as to detect changes in both self-esteem and the behaviour of interest over that period. It should also control for the effects of other factors; most problem behaviours have multiple causes and multiple risk factors. This review gave most weight to research that meets these requirements.

The review focused upon the following outcomes: crime and delinquency (including violent crime), racial prejudice, abuse of illegal drugs, illegal (under-age) tobacco use, alcohol abuse, risky sexual behaviour and teenage pregnancy, child maltreatment, educational underachievement, economic circumstances, eating disorders, suicide and suicide attempts.

It is more difficult to prove, unequivocally, the absence than the presence of a link. Nonetheless, in several cases the evidence was about as clear as it could be in ruling out a causal influence of low self-esteem. These cases are crime/delinquency (including violent crime), racial prejudice, teenage smoking, and child maltreatment. What make some of these cases particularly clear is that high, not low self-esteem, is the more plausible risk factor.

A second category covers cases in which the influence of low self-esteem is not proven (these may merit further attention) or very slight. These include educational under-achievement, alcohol abuse and drug abuse.

One commonly voiced assumption is that low self-esteem increases the risk of behaviour damaging to health among young people - notably drug and alcohol abuse and smoking - because it increases vulnerability to negative peer group pressure. In fact, very low self-esteem if anything reduces sensitivity to conformity pressures. It also appears that engaging in physically risky pursuits, such as driving too fast or under the influence of alcohol is associated with high, not low self-esteem.

Finally, with respect to four cases, low self-esteem does appear to be a risk factor: teenage pregnancy, eating disorders, suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts, and (for males only) lower earnings and more extended periods of unemployment in early adulthood.

In each case, however, it is unclear precisely why low self-esteem increases the risk. Moreover, the increased risk is typically small and low self-esteem is only one of a number of risk factors. Nonetheless, these are the strongest cases for further inquiry.

Causes

A few factors - ethnicity or race, social background and gender - could not possibly be consequences of low self-esteem - but are they among its causes?

Belonging to a minority ethnic community, particularly one that has experienced a history of persecution and discrimination by the majority population, would seem to pose a threat to any individual's sense of their own worth. If anything, however, quite the contrary is the case. Notably, black Americans enjoy higher self-esteem than their white counterparts.

It is just possible that black Americans are a special case but research points to the same conclusion about all manner of stigmatised groups: being an object of prejudice does not damage self-esteem.

Social class position in adulthood is modestly related to self-esteem, but adolescent and childhood levels of self-esteem are unrelated to the socio-economic status of parents. There is indication, however, of some 'hidden injuries', albeit minor, of social class including father's level of education and whether the father is unemployed.

Gender is also only very modestly related to self-esteem. Females on average have slightly lower self-esteem than males, the gap being widest in the late teens. The many explanations that have been advanced for females' lower self-esteem therefore seem to over-explain the difference.

Among factors that appear to have a clearer effect on self-esteem are successes and failures. Most attention has been given to the effect of academic achievement. The effect is undeniable but it is not large. The same goes for successes and failures of other kinds - in finding work or holding on to employment, for example, and for such public attacks on a person's worth as being diagnosed an alcoholic, referred to a drug abuse rehabilitation programme or convicted of child abuse.

Much attention has been given to the impact of appearance upon self-esteem and strong claims have been made about its effects among adolescents. The evidence, however, does not unequivocally support these claims. It does show clearly that self-esteem is related to beliefs about appearance. It does not rule out the plausible conclusion that these beliefs are themselves substantially determined by self-esteem.

As to what are the most important influences on self-esteem, the simple answer is: parents. Part of this influence is attributable to parenting style. The key qualities contributing to positive self-esteem appear to be approval and acceptance. Among the most damaging things parents can do is to abuse their children, physically or sexually. Family conflict and breakdown are likewise sources of damage.

Biological parents also exercise a genetic influence; a part of the difference between the self-esteem of one individual and the next is inherited. This source of influence is significant and substantial - it is the single most important source of variations in self-esteem so far identified. But it still leaves most of the differences between people to be produced by events after they are born.

Finally, close and loving relationships with others later in life do contribute positively to self-esteem. But the likelihood of forming and sustaining successful relationships of these kinds is itself higher when self-esteem is higher in the first place.

Planned interventions to raise self-esteem: what works?
Raising self-esteem has become big, and profitable, business. But the products being sold are in serious need of evaluation. We need to know not just whether they work, but how well (do they produce substantial and long-lasting gains?), how cost-effectively, and why they work.

Most of these questions remain for the present unanswered. Undeniably some interventions do work. Moreover, those work best that are grounded in relevant theory and evidence, that are intended specifically to raise self-esteem rather than to produce some other change, and that are targeted at those identified with a relevant problem. But very few evaluations of effects have so far considered long-term outcomes. And next to nothing is known about either cost-effectiveness or why interventions work when they do.

Conclusions/Implications for policy

Policy-makers in California became interested in self-esteem because they believed it could explain a range of social problems. If they were right to believe this they would have had a strong case for investing public resources to promote higher levels of self-esteem in the population. But if money and human effort is to be devoted to such ends one needs to be very sure of two things. First, does low self-esteem have negative consequences and what are they? Second, is it practical to reverse these effects by raising self-esteem?

As for the large social problems, those with significant costs for the community and the public purse such as juvenile crime, alcohol abuse, and racism, this research suggests that there is no warrant for the view that low self-esteem plays a significant part. Its clearest effects relate to more private troubles - depression, suicide attempts, being bullied, eating disorders.

Teenage pregnancy is an intermediate case. It is a matter of growing public concern and in the long term it can carry significant public costs. Its incidence, however, remains relatively low. And more effective prevention may well lie in better sex education than in raising self-esteem.

Risk of sexually transmitted infections is similarly a matter of public concern. But findings on the role of self-esteem in moderating this risk are mixed, actually pointing in both directions. If there is a case for further research into the effects of self-esteem, there is one here. This is also true for the repercussions of childhood self-esteem upon economic circumstances in adulthood.

As to what can be done to raise or protect self-esteem, measures to improve parenting skills and remove risks of child abuse would appear to offer the best prospects. Self-esteem can be raised through planned interventions. But the case for doing so, and more particularly for diverting public resources into such efforts, has yet to be made.

Characteristics of Genuinely Low Self Esteem

Social withdrawal

Anxiety and emotional turmoil

Lack of social skills and self confidence. Depression and/or bouts of sadness

Less social conformity

Eating disorders

Inability to accept compliments

An Inability to see yourself 'squarely' - to be fair to yourself

Accentuating the negative

Exaggerated concern over what they imagine other people think

Self neglect

Treating yourself badly but NOT other people

Worrying whether you have treated others badly

Reluctance to take on challenges

Reluctance to trust your own opinion

Expect little out of life for yourself

Are Low Self-Esteem and Eating Disorders Related?

Although it is often thought of as only an "anecdotal contention that low selfesteem is a trait of eating disorders" (Wilfiams 1993), this fact has been empirically proven time and time again. With the use of various questionnaires and inventories, researchers such as Schupak-Neuberg, Rosen and Button have found that low self-esteem occurs very commonly in patients with eating disorders. In some cases, evidence for this relationship is so strong that it is even thought by some researchers that chronic low self-esteem is a necessary prerequisite for disordered eating (Silverstone 1992). A profile of self-concept components that are characteristic of low self-esteem are insecurity, negative mood and depression, poor body image, feelings of inadequacy, social and personal withdrawal, poor adaptation skills, and unrealistically high aspirations (Steinhausen 1993). All of these traits are seen fairly consistently in patients with eating disorders.

In addition, patients with eating disorders also exhibit other traits associated with low self-esteem, such as problems with their overall self-image, excessive concern over weight and shape, and globally negative attitudes about their self-control and discipline (Button 1997). The methodology for the research leading to these conclusions about low self-esteem and eating disorders typically involves elements such as questionnaires examining eating behavior, self-esteem and general psychological well-being (such as the Offer self-image questionnaire), depression and self-esteem scales (such as the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Hospital anxiety and depression scale), personal interviews with doctors, psychologists and researchers, and finally tests designed specifically for eating disorders (such as the Bulimia test and the EAT-40).


Low self-esteem plays a prominent role in many multifactorial theories of the etiology of eating disorders.


Studies on The Process of Identity Formation And Where It Can Go Wrong, Leading to Disturbed Eating...

The formation of a concrete sense of self is one of the milestones of adolescence. However, this task is anything but easy. The teenage years are full of turmoil and changes that can have a detrimental affect on a girl's sense of identity and therefore her self-esteem. Without a positive and strong sense of identity, many teenagers suffer from low self-esteem and self-doubt. Identity formation involves many factors, among them solidifying ideas about morals and values, exploring the nature of one's own personality, and finding the peer groups that one will form relationships with. The process of identity formation is typically harder for girls than for boys, leading to "girls' greater identity instability, higher self-consciousness, greater concerns about popularity, lower body esteem, and lower selfesteem" (Fairbum 1993). Young girls are searching for positive things with which to identify, to make them feel like they fit in with a group, to make them feel confident. Identity formation will often involve making new friends, joining certain clubs or sports teams, getting involved with a church youth group, beginning to separate emotionally from one's parents or enrolling in certain classes at school. Ideally, the teenager will emerge from the process stronger and more confident, knowing who they are and thinking they know what they want out of life.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Studies reported by Fairbum indicate that when adolescent girls are insecure, they become significantly more self-conscious. Self-consciousness leads to increased self-criticism, leaving the adolescent extremely vulnerable to disordered eating (Fairbum 1993). Rosen found that this phenomenon is due to a desire to decrease self-consciousness by improving the physical appearance, especially through dieting (Rosen 1993). Therefore, without a strong sense of identity, adolescent girls begin to feel poorly about themselves, and the manifestation of this self-consciousness is often a measure such as dieting and unrealistic expectations for their physical appearance.


The "Body as Self"...


When the process of identity formation is disturbed, one is left with a great amount of confusion and instability about the self. Many studies have found that for young girls, the solution to this problem is to utilize their physical bodies as a means of self-definition (Schupak-Neuberg 1993). In other words, girls disregard their personalities, their morals and values, and their intelligence and instead focus only on their physical appearance as the source of their identity. Thus, the body becomes of the utmost importance, the concrete notion of self, and making it beautiful and perfect is the girl's primary priority. Girls who are insecure about their identity therefore focus on their appearance, which they can change and have control over.

When girls are insecure about their identity, they often shift the focus from their inner selves to their physical bodies, allowing their physical appearance to become their sense of self.

The first and easiest method that many girls choose of improving the self is dieting. Girls assume that by losing weight they will become more attractive, and thus create an adequate sense of self and acquire higher self-esteem. But this is a vicious cycle that is doomed from the beginning. Girls see the diet as the answer to all of their problems, and begin to rapidly lose weight, either by fasting, exercising excessively, or purging. According to Fairburn, "Self-deficits may intensify appearance-related concerns; perceived deficits in one's attractiveness in turn may be a potent source of anxiety, hence contributing further to self-dysfunction" (Fairbum 1993). According to Schupak-Neuberg, food and fasting become the only methods of self-regulation, both emotional and physical, for the adolescent (1993). Any deviafion from the diet then, even for a moment, is seen as a failure, thus perpetuating an even lower sense of self-esteem, and even more severe restrictions. The adolescents dissatisfaction with their physical appearance increases, elevating their concerns about eating habits, and ultimately leading to greater levels of global dissafisfaction with the self (Button 1997). Therefore, the diet that is meant to provide confidence and security becomes part of the problem itself


Risk Factors For Low Self-Esteem...

Self-esteem is certainly not a static characteristic. Rather, it is extremely dynamic, even changing from day to day during adolescence. Many factors can influence selfesteem, either in positive ways or negative ways, and can therefore have an affect on adolescent girls' eating behavior. Researchers have discovered that some factors that typically place the self-esteem of adolescents at risk are puberty, life transitions, and stress.


Puberty and Biological Changes...


Adjusfing to the biological changes that are involved in puberty is a huge emotional strain, especially for an adolescent girl that lacks self-esteem. While physical maturation for boys brings increased muscle tone, height, a deepened voice, and other desirable changes, puberty for girls often brings with it a dreaded and feared weight gain. Although the weight gain is natural and normal, girls see the extra pounds as ugly and disgusting. Girls bodies begin to acquire curves and a feminine shape that is different from today's standard of beauty: the Kate Moss stick figure. As their bodies grow, girls begin to see themselves as fat, and their increased dissatisfaction with their physical appearance can serve to damage or wipe out self-esteem. Button has found, through questionnaires and interviews of schoolgirls in England, that as early as age I I- 12, girls begin to be self-conscious about their body shape and size. Up to 43% were classified as having low self-esteem and were taking measures to improve their appearance. In a follow-up study, the researchers discovered that as puberty progresses, these same girls were at a much greater risk to exhibit symptoms of disordered eating by the time they were 16 years old (Button 1997).

During puberty, girls begin to develop a more feminine shape that is drastically different from todays standard of beauty, the Kate Moss stick Figure.

Life Transifions...


Adolescence brings with it many transitions that disrupt the stability of a young girl's life. For instance, the transition from elementary school to junior high or high school can be nerve-wracking. Studies have shown that during this period of time, girls often experience a decrease in academic performance, increased self-consciousness and lowered self-esteem (Fairbum 1993). Typically, this stage is mastered and girls adjust to their new envirornments without too much emotional strain. But in some cases, in order to fit in with the older teenagers and new peer groups, girls seek to change their physical appearance. The pressure to be thin and beautiful, like the models and stars, leads many girls to believe that if they look a certain way, everything will work out, they will be popular, and they will have lots of friends. Therefore, to these girls, success in their new environment depends solely upon their physical appearance. The girls are convinced that when they reach their physical goals like that of a goal weight, all of their problems will be solved, easing the pain and strain of the transition they are experiencing. But this is false hope, and by subscribing to such 'all or none' thinkimg, any minor defect in the physical appearance (such as an extra five pounds) becomes a global problem for all of the self.



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During transitional periods such as the one from elementary school to junior high, adolescent girls often experience not only a decline in academic performance, but also increased self-consciousness and lowered self-esteem.

Stress...


Even the most minor daily events, such as getting dressed in the morning, can be stressful for an adolescent girl. Stress is often thought to be one of the antecedents to eating disorders because it intensifies the preoccupation with the body, which usually leads to lowered self-esteem (Rosen 1993). However, stress is also a typical result of the psychological turmoil involved with eating disorders. So, stress is both a cause and an effect of eating disorders. Again, there is a cycle at work. Stressful events, such as a test or a fight with a friend, lead to increased self-awareness and negative feelings about the self, and thus low self-esteem. The solution to the low self-esteem is, for many girls, to control eating and therefore improve their physical appearance in order to feel better about themselves. Then, the symptoms of disordered eating (such as tiredness, hunger, emotional strain, struggles with control) become stressful in themselves, perpetuating a bidirectional relationship between low self-esteem due to stress and eating disorders.

Stress is both a cause and an effect of eating disorders


Conclusions...

Many different studies have been done on the relationship between low self-esteem and eating disorders; all have concluded, through various measures, that there is a strong relationship between the two. Often the result of an inadequate sense of self, disturbances in puberty, stress, or life transitions, low self-esteem serves to manifest itself in areas such as disordered eating. Girls who are insecure see improvements in their physical appearance as the answer to their problems. Thus, they diet and have unrealistic expectations for the outcome, leading to further disappointment and more restrictions on their behavior. Although there is substantial research on this issue, all of the studies are about cause and effect. There seemed to be little or no information regarding how eating disorders caused by low self-esteem can be treated or even prevented. This direction, towards solutions rather than mere analysis of the problem, is where future research should be headed.

Basic Elements Of Self-Esteem

Trust starts early in life and is based on how we are received into the world. We learn to trust ourselves and begin to have a realistic trust of others. We begin to develop confidence in the self's ability to choose others who are safe--who will not injure or exploit.

Self-nurture is born of trust--we learn how to be caretakers of ourselves. Self-nurturing is an essential ingredient of self-esteem.

Autonomy comes from mastery. We work through necessary dependencies, to a growing independence. We find interdependence when we can separate ourselves from others around us and yet retain vital connections to others.

Identity grows. We begin to know who we are and who we are becoming. In each stage of life, self-esteem undergoes change and growth. We fool more solid as our identity grows.

Intimacy develops from identity and the need for connection. It is the ability to relate closely and to know the limits of closeness. We yearn to lose ourselves in love and yet we need to retain our own separate essence.

Website:
http://www.whispy.com/selfesteem.htm

Child Abuse Increases Likelihood of Low Self Esteem

People who were abused as children (physical beating or sexual abuse) are more likely to suffer unrealistic low self esteem as adults. This is because of constant repetition of a 'message' that they are of little value or just an object to be used. In a way they have been 'brain washed' by constant criticism or abuse that they are a certain way.

When a person begins to question this former conditioning or brainwashing then a healthier and more accurate sense of self can begin to emerge. However the person may have to be de-traumatised so the emotional brain responds differently in future (rather than solely learning to think differently about stuff). However the way we think and our assumptions need to be observed, understood and if necessary challenged. (explanatory styles)

(Note: Most people who have low self esteem were not abused as children.)

Abusive people lower your self esteem and put you down. If you live with an abusive person you are at a big disadvantage and may suffer very low confidence. The best advice is to get this abusive person out of your life, don't accept abuse ever. If you absolutely can't escape that person then you need great inner strength to stand up to it.