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Essay / Overview of the issue of low self-esteem and its impact on life
Many people struggle with negative expectations that can stem from their low self-esteem. “I will fail in class even if I try my best.” "I'm so stupid I can't do anything right." “I’m not good enough to pass in this class.” They underestimate themselves easily and often think they cannot improve their self-esteem. Such encouraging words don't seem to help them at all. Many people understandably struggle to gain higher self-esteem. It can motivate us to get along with others in many relationships such as workplaces and schools. On the other hand, others believe that they will never be able to achieve a higher level of self-esteem. Self-esteem is a subjective way in which we perceive, evaluate, and judge ourselves with self-standards, personal reflection, and self-respect; therefore it has a considerable impact on life (Orth & Robins, 2014, p.381). Over time, its importance is increasingly emphasized in our society and in the psychological field. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayIn the research of Orth and Robins (2014), two aspects of self-esteem were mainly studied: its development and its influence on our lives. . To fully understand these two aspects, three main questions were asked through the experiment: is it a stable or transient trait? Is it consequential or influential? Does a typical up and down trend apply to the general public? To conclude these questions, the general trend of the trajectory of self-esteem across age has been realized through recent longitudinal studies. The subjects who participated in the studies ranged in age from 16 to 97 years old and the sample sizes were approximately 1,800 to 7,000 participants (Orth & Robins, 2014, p. 382-383). According to Orth and Robins (2014), the general trend Studies show that self-esteem increases from ages 16 to 51, peaks at age 51, and declines from ages 51 to 97. The results of the studies show a constant trend from increase to decrease; however, some studies show uneven magnitude of decline from one age to another and from one person to another. This is because different factors affect their self-esteem. Some of these factors include income, employment status, physical health and ethnicity. Even though there is not a big difference in the trend between men and women, there is a different trend in self-esteem between a minority group and a majority group. For example, African American adolescents show greater increases in self-esteem than European Americans. It can be different from person to person because people have their own personality that sets them apart from others. For example, individuals with extroverted, confident, and conscientious traits likely have higher self-esteem than individuals who do not possess these traits. (Orth and Robins, 2014, pp. 382-383). Orth and Robins (2014) suggested further research on self-esteem during the developmental phase and the trajectory of old age. There is a great influence on the development of self-esteem during the adolescent and adult years. Additionally, there has been an inconsistent finding that the level of decline in self-esteem during old age differs across studies (Orth & Robins, 2014, p. 382). The long-term stability of an individual's self-esteem is also examined in the research. Type stability..