Self-Esteem: Developing a Positive-or Negative-View of the Self
Develops in important ways during middle childhood
- Children increasingly compare themselves to others
- Children are developing their own standards
- For most children self-esteem improves in middle childhood
- As children progress into the middle childhood years, however, their self-esteem is higher for some areas and lower in others. For example, a boy’s overall self-esteem may be composed of positive self-esteem in some areas (such as the positive feelings he gets from his artistic ability) and more negative self-esteem in others (such as the unhappiness he feels over his athletic skills).
- On the other hand, students with high self-esteem travel a more positive path, falling into a cycle of success. Having higher expectations leads to increased effort and lower anxiety, increasing the probability of success. In turn, this helps affirm their higher self-esteem that began the cycle.