Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Maintaining a Positive Self-identity in Today’s Society

Xavia 
Mrs. Zurkowski
Green
1 October 2010

                Self-identity is very important in your life.  It defines how you view your strengths and weaknesses.  This perception causes you to either have a positive or negative image of yourself.  A positive self-image will lead to self-acceptance.  Therefore, self-identity is an essential part of your personality.  Self-identity is the reason you are yourself today.  It must not be taken for granted because it is how people see you; it should be valued because nobody else has the same image. 
You are not born with a self-identity.  ”All people have a picture of themselves, their strengths, and their weaknesses.  It is formed through learning experiences starting at birth.(“Self-Esteem”)” Your identity can be formed in many ways.  Experiences and relationships play a large role in this.  As a child, your self-identity is influenced by your parents.  Supportive behavior, praise, and encouragement help a child to develop a positive self-identity.  As a teen or young adult, your self-identity is heavily influenced by your friends and your achievements in school and sports.  As a result, you develop a mental image of yourself.  This image can shift over time as relationships change, different goals are reached, and as you mature.  Your self-identity helps to define who you are as a person and as a unique individual.
                Self-esteem is important to your self-identity.  “Self-esteem is the value judgment or degree of worth a person attributes to his or her self-image.(“Self-Esteem”)” If you have a highly positive self-image, you will have a high degree of self-esteem.  This, in turn, will lead to increased self-confidence and ultimately self-acceptance.  Unfortunately, some people are bullied and as a result, they have  low self-esteem.  Victims of bullying remain victims becomes they do not know how to defend themselves.(“Bullying is serious problem that needs addressing”)” Self-esteem is an important part of your self-confidence.  In a recent study, nearly half of the sample (43%) reported that they were tomboys as children (Michele).  The study showed that the tomboys had higher self-esteem than regular adult women.  This could be due to the fact that their accomplishments in sports led to praise, increased self-confidence, and self-acceptance.  Self-esteem ultimately affects how you behave in social settings, but it is significantly influenced by your perception of your accomplishments.
                There are programs and activities to help raise self-esteem. One-third (34 percent) of ninth grade students in U.S. public schools in 2002 left school three years  later, in 2005, with a high-school diploma and the qualifications to apply to a four-year college (“Self-Esteem”).  This is a small number considering how many people go to high school.  So, Programs such as Bully Buster Week have been used.  This program was designed to show children what to do if there is a bully problem. These programs have been used to help troubled kids raise their self-esteem so that they can break the cycle of bullying.  “Efforts have been made to incorporate activities to raise self-esteem in school curricula. (“Bullying is serious problem that needs addressing”)” Schools hope to use these programs more often.  Although these programs have been used, it is not clear yet if they have been helpful.
                Everyone does not agree with the results of various self-esteem studies.  Some experts say there is no way to measure self-esteem.  However, others say that studies can be used to measure it.  Many studies have been performed throughout the years to measure and evaluate self-esteem.  The results of these studies have been used to develop programs, to provide tools for an individual to enhance personal self-esteem, and to evaluate how self-esteem and self-identity play a role in social behavior.  These studies have played a valuable role in the assessment of self-identity and have provided valuable insights into ways to improve social behavior.                           
Some experts say self-esteem includes a mastery of skills.  This means that children should figure out problems on their own without their parents’ help. This is called trial and error.  Others say that since children do not participate in the family’s economic life like they did during agricultural times, then they don’t have the opportunity to resolve large problems on their own.  Typically, young children in developed countries do not have jobs.  Therefore, others should help them solve problems of everyday life.  This group of experts believes that guidance is more important than self-mastery.  As many studies have shown, positive feedback, encouragement, and a strong support system are just as important as learning through trial and error.  A home and family that provide a loving and supportive environment are more important to social development than experiencing failure at a young age.   
As you can see, many experts have different opinions about this topic of self-identity and self-esteem.  However, all experts agree that self-identity exists in relationship to self-esteem.  Studies that measure self-esteem have proven useful.  Because self-identity is linked to self-confidence, praise and encouragement are more likely to raise your self-confidence as a young child rather than tackling large problems without guidance.  Self-identity is very important to everyone.  Although your self-identity changes over time, it always exists as an essential part of you.  Self-esteem makes a big contribution to self-identity; it is very important to have a positive mental picture of yourself.  

 Works Cited:
“Bullying is serious problem that needs addressing." Victoria Advocate [Victoria, TX] 31 Aug. 2010. Gale   
               Student Resources In Context. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Microsoft word, Michele. "The effects of childhood tomboyism and family experiences on the self-      
               esteem of college females." College Student Journal 43.3  (2009): 736+. Gale Student Resources  
               In Context. Web. 19 Sept. 2010.
"Self-esteem." World of Health. Gale, 2007. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2010.