Topic > Overview of the Problem of Low Self-Esteem and Its Impact on Your Life

There are many people who struggle with negative expectations that may arise from their low self-esteem. “I won't pass my class even if I try my best.” “I'm such an idiot that there's nothing I can do right.” “I'm not good enough to do well in this class.” They easily underestimate themselves and often think they cannot improve their self-esteem. Such encouraging words don't seem to help them at all. Many people naturally struggle to achieve greater self-esteem. It can function as motivation to get along with others in many relationships such as the workplace and school. Others, however, assume that they will never be able to reach a higher level of self-esteem. Self-esteem is a subjective way in which we perceive, evaluate and judge ourselves with self-standards, self-reflection and self-respect; therefore it has a strong impact on people's lives (Orth & Robins, 2014, p.381). As time passes, 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Orth and Robins' (2014) research, there were mainly two aspects of self-esteem: its development and its influence on our lives. To carefully understand these two aspects, three main questions were explained during the experiment: Is it a stable or transitory trait? Is it consequential or influential? Does a typical up-and-down trend apply to ordinary people? To come to a conclusion to these questions, the general trend of the trajectory of self-esteem over the course of age was conducted through recent longitudinal studies. Subjects who participated in the studies ranged in age from 16 to 97, and the sample size ranged from 1,800 to 7,000 participants (Orth & Robins, 2014, p.382-383). According to Orth and Robins (2014), the general trend from studies emerges that self-esteem increases from ages 16 to 51, reaches its peak at age 51, and declines from ages 51 to 51. 97. The results of the studies show a constant trend from increase to decrease; however, some studies show a decrease of inconsistent magnitude from age to age and from person to person. It is because there are several factors that affect their self-esteem. Some of these factors include income, employment status, physical health, and ethnicity. Although there is not a big difference in the trend between males and females, there is a different pattern of self-esteem trend between a minority group and a majority group. For example, African American adolescents show a stronger increase in their self-esteem than Americans of European descent. It can be different from person to person because people have a unique personality that sets them apart from others. For example, individuals with extraverted, confident, and conscientious traits likely have higher self-esteem than individuals who do not have such traits. (Orth & Robins, 2014, p.382-383). Orth and Robins (2014) suggested further research on self-esteem during development and the journey of old age. There is a great influence on the development of self-esteem during the teenage/adult years. Furthermore, an inconsistent finding was found that the level of self-esteem decreases in older age is different from one study to another (Orth & Robins, 2014, p.382). The long-term stability of an individual's self-esteem is also examined in research analysis. Trait stability is shown in a personality or intelligence that changes slowly and gradually over a lifetime or barely changes, while state stability is found in a mood that changes from day to day..