September 2009 - "Why isn’t more being done to build children’s self-esteem, rather than damage it?”
Linda Papadopoulos, psychologist and mother, explains why our youngsters need a helping hand when it comes to appreciating their personal worth
In my work as a
psychologist, I come across the concept of self-esteem more than
any other. It is inextricably linked to so many other parts of our
personality that its importance to our well-being cannot be
underestimated. Having self-esteem means appreciating your own
worth and importance; it means being able to like yourself enough
to trust in your own values and abilities and to live by your own
set of rules. Research shows that having self-esteem empowers
people and inoculates them against self-defeating and socially
undesirable behaviour. Those with high self-esteem have a positive
attitude, they compare themselves favourably with others, trust
their own instincts and stand up for them, rather than by being
dictated to by the 'shoulds' and 'have tos' of
society; in short, they are better equipped to cope with the
challenges of life. Those with low self-esteem can feel helpless,
powerless and ultimately depressed.
So why is it then, that, in this day and age, there are so many factors in place to damage our children's self-esteem, rather than to help them build it? The facts can't be denied; surveys show that, since 2000, one in six of our children have been suffering from serious emotional or behavioural problems, compared with only one in ten some 15 years earlier. Up to one in 12 children deliberately hurt themselves on a regular basis - the highest rate in Europe. Eating disorders now have a death rate 12 times higher than all other causes of death for females aged 15-24, and reports of bullying in schools have reached higher levels than ever before. People ask how and why this has come about - for me, the problems are multifaceted, but there are certain predominant factors that we can all recognise.
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Comments:
"self esteem is paramount to the healthy development and growth of any child. this should be focused on and taught in abundance.Children are the young people of tomorrow and have many opinions; which SHOULD be nurtured rather than knocked down and ignored, Clare"
Clare Emerson - Sunday 27th Sep 2009
"Hi, I agree so much with Linda's article. For so many years children are expected to learn all their school subjects but the single most important subject is Self Esteem. How they interact with others is down to the way they are treated which in turn influences how they treat others. Children ARE our most valuable group in society but we treat them in awful ways probably because we were treated badly to begin with! I know its not a simple process to undertake and its not just down to the schools, parents must understand the importance for this too. I just wish that the Whitehall people who decide school policy and curriculum would listen to people like Linda. Lynne"
Lynne Coombe - Saturday 5th Sep 2009