Placing the Horse in Front of the Wagon: Toward a Conceptual Understanding of the Development of Self-Esteem in Children
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Placing the Horse in Front of the Wagon: Toward a Conceptual Understanding of the Development of Self-Esteem in Children and Adolescents
Yan Dominic Searcy, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: Existing research on self-esteem among children and adolescents has focused on defining self-esteem, measuring self-esteem, and indicating variables that influence self-esteem. However, limited research and thought has been given to explain conceptually how self-esteem is developed and maintained. This paper suggests that the existing literature lacks a theoretical conceptualization of how self-esteem is developed and provides a three-pronged conceptualization indicating that associations, activities, and aural support develop and maintain self-esteem. The conceptualization provided has research, policy, and programmatic implications. KEY WORDS: Self-esteem; Children; Adolescents; Child Development.
Self-esteem among children and adolescents is a topic that has garnered a plethora of research attention over the past 30 years. As it relates to adolescents, self-esteem is extremely important. It is viewed as influencing decision making, that potentially leads to outcomes that can affect the youth throughout the life span. These influences include protected sex, age of first sexual experience, school attendance, crime involvement, drug and alcohol use, suicide, job attainment, vocational choice, peer group selection, diet, parenting, Y. D. Searcy is an Associate Professor in Department of Social Work and Department of Sociology, Chicago State University, 9501 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL, 60628, USA Address correspondence to Y. D. Searcy, Department of Social Work and Department of Sociology, Chicago State University, 9501 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL, 60628, USA; e-mail: [email protected]
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Ó 2006 Springer ScienceþBusiness Media, Inc.
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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL
and even enduring or perpetrating domestic violence (Hendy, Eggen, Gustiitus, McLeod, & Ng, 2003; Kunz & Kalil 1999, MacDonald & Martieau 2002; Turner, Kaplan, Zayas, & Ross, 2002). Self-esteem has been linked to achievement, poor performance, high rates of teen pregnancy, criminal justice system involvement, and bullying (DÕAmico & Cardaci 2003; Kilpatrick 2002; Sung & Thornberry, 1998; Vernon, Green, & Frothingham, 1983). While there has been much attention given to measuring and defining selfesteem (Brooke, 1996; Savin-Williams & Jaquish, 1981), there has been remarkably limited research and thought given to explain conceptually how self-esteem is developed and maintained. Although a number of instructional guides, counseling methods, and educational materials intended to boost measured self-esteem have been proposed and studied, (Chandler, 1999; Goodwin 1999; Gordon 2003; King,Vidourek, Davis, & McClellan, 2002; Stino & Palmer, 1998) the specific argument here is that the existing literature lacks a theoretical conceptualization of how self-esteem is developed. In effect, the theoretical literature has been placing the proverbial wagon in front of the horse. This ar
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