This is my research paper that I recently did for English. It is lengthy, but I spent a lot of time on it, and I am very proud of it. I feel it is worthy of my blog, and I want to share it with everyone. Enjoy!
Self-Esteem Indoctrination
Self-esteem programs have inundated schools around the nation for decades. Self-esteem has long been thought to vaccinate children against depression, substance abuse and bad grades along with other negative behaviors (Gecas and Longmore 1423). Implementing self-esteem programs into schools has resulted in the indoctrination of an entire population over the last few decades. Whether it was intentional or not, the effect has been seriously detrimental to society.
The roots of the self-esteem movement date all the way back to the late 1800s. Psychologist William James can be credited with coining the term “self-esteem” in 1892 (Stearns 736). The positive psychological aspects of self-esteem were cultivated throughout the 1920s and 30s, and the conclusion was made that a development of the self was necessary for children to succeed and thrive in the world (Stearns 736).
Self-esteem programs were brought into schools in the 1960s in order to attempt to provide children with a sense of self-worth by giving them opportunities that included a variety of learning platforms so that the student's could learn according to their particular learning styles (Stearns 737). Over the next several decades, self-esteem programs became a part of almost every school's curriculum. These programs varied in structure and name, but they all shared one common goal: to imbue children with high self-esteem that would supposedly vaccinate them against every negative aspect of life, including bad grades, drugs, sexual dangers, depression, anxiety, violence and suicide.
In 1986, California created The California Task Force on Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, and their goal was to invest time and money through self-esteem programs into the children in California public schools to raise the self-esteem in children, and therefore endow the future of the state with the perfect population: low crime rates, reduced poverty, etc. (Stephenson). Although the task force employed a team of researchers to find supportive research for their claims, surprisingly little such research was found, and despite the nearly non-existent amount of research to back up their claims, the state pushed ahead with their efforts to vaccinate the children in America against low self-esteem (Stephenson).
There are several problems with the research on self-esteem. One major issue is that previous to recent research done in the past few years, only two types of self-esteem were discussed: high self-esteem and low self-esteem (Kernis 3). Researchers are now addressing the fact that there are multiple aspects of self-esteem. A few of them include implicit self-esteem, contingent self-esteem and stability of self-esteem (Kernis 3). These other aspects are completely relevant when one is trying to measure self-esteem and apply it to real life situations and outcomes.
Another issue regarding research is addressed in an article in Harvard Health Publications. It explains the two general types of self-esteem: implicit and explicit. Implicit self-esteem “is measured by automatic responses, such as how we associate words that have favorable or unfavorable connotations with ourselves”, and explicit self-esteem “is judged by what we say about ourselves” (Importance of High Self-Esteem). Seeing the differences between these two types of self-esteem brings an important question into play: How would this affect measurements of self-esteem by a field of researchers? Explicit self-esteem can only be measured by what the subject says. Measuring explicit self-esteem would rely heavily on subjects telling the truth, and the researcher's ability to weed out lies or embellishments. Measuring implicit self-esteem is another issue altogether. Automatic reactions and connotations produced by one subject would have a different meaning from one subject to another. Therefore, there is no reliable way to measure self-esteem.
In fact, many researchers never specifically stated that high self-esteem would keep America's children from the dangers that are automatically associated with low self-esteem (Kernis, Lakey, and Heppner 478). Despite this, the US government endorsed several programs that were to be implemented into schools and also as extra-curricular activities.
The Girl Scouts of the USA was recognized by the US government in 1950 and chartered (Girl Scouts of the USA). Their program is primarily motivated by the mission of fostering high self-esteem in girls, who society largely assumes to be susceptible to low self-esteem, due to the body image issues and gender inequalities women have struggled with for decades. The program has a specific approach to self-esteem in girls, and the “uniquely ME” program states the following about self-esteem:
The problem of low self-esteem is pervasive among pre-adolescent and adolescent girls in the United States. Research conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute and other organizations demonstrates that risky behavior such as smoking, drinking, unsafe sexual behavior, eating disorders, suicidal tendencies, and self-mutilative behavior are often associated with low self-esteem (Girl Scouts of the USA).
This description that links low self-esteem to negative behaviors is vague. More importantly, it does not actually say that high self-esteem keeps girls from the behaviors noted. The assumption is made that if low self-esteem is linked to negative behaviors, then high self-esteem must surely be the miraculous vaccination that inoculates girls against these horrible behaviors. These are the types of assumptions being made across the board regarding self-esteem in children.
Another program that is a part of schools worldwide is the Workshop Way. Schools and teachers that implement this program into their curriculum have positive reviews for it, and it's not surprising. The program seems to miraculously change even the worst student's behavior into a cooperative and well-mannered child. The student's positive responses to the program are to be expected, considering the classroom environment contains “no humiliation, no sarcasm, no teasing, no one ignored, not one negative judgment in a whole class day” (Harmin 45). This may create the perfect environment for keeping student's behavior under control, but what can we expect from these students once they graduate from school, and are suddenly confronted with the very criticisms they have been protected from? Negative judgment and humiliation are a part of life, and there is no escaping it.
Although there are many different self-esteem programs, they all have the same general goal: to give children high self-esteem so that they will not do poorly in school or in life. The programs have different ways of fostering self-esteem. Most of the programs forbid teachers from scolding or correcting students. The programs even discourage teachers from handing out bad grades, as this would damage the student's self-esteem (Stearns 737). What happens when these students are not students anymore? Will their bosses refrain from scolding them when they do poorly on the job?
Programs in school that are intended to raise levels of self-esteem “rely on exercises that lavish empty praise on kids, whether they've earned it or not” (School Self-Esteem Programs Get Mixed Grades). This meaningless praise may help children temporarily, but when they are thrown into real life, they are confronted with bosses who do not praise them for their hard work, and co-workers who take credit for their work. Suddenly, the praise they received as youths is completely irrelevant to their current circumstances, and they are left to fend for themselves.
One of the most predictable short term effects of these self-esteem programs is underachievement. When children are made to believe that they are great regardless of their achievements, they inevitably come to the conclusion that they do not need to achieve anything at all, and this leads to acceptance of mediocrity among all children, even those who are capable of much more (Tobin 130-131).
It seems that schools in general are overly concerned with the happiness of children, instead of focusing solely on education. When did schools become so obsessed with a child's happiness? The role of school is to educate children, and to provide a comfortable learning environment for each child to succeed. The happiness of a child is the parent's responsibility, but the role of the schools has extended into that of the parent's, and teachers simply do not have the time or the resources necessary to individualize the programs to each child.
The claims made that high self-esteem has positive outcomes have some truth to them. It is the way that high self-esteem is acquired that is so important. Self-esteem acquired through the programs introduced into schools is fragile, and is shattered easily and in turn evokes defensive mechanisms; self-esteem that is developed naturally through pride in your work and real accomplishments develops a secure high self-esteem that does not falter easily due to the fact that it is backed up by real accomplishments and life experience (Kernis, Lakey, and Heppner 479).
One of the most dangerous aspects of fragile high self-esteem is narcissism. When self-love rises to an extreme level, the result is a feeling of superiority and separation from the rest of your peers. It also creates the type of self-esteem that when threatened, evokes extremely defensive mechanisms that produce violence and anger. Narcissism is based on the very concepts that are taught in self-esteem programs, the concept that children “are unique and special” (Shepherd 20). Author Jean Twenge studied the rise of narcissism over the past few decades, and found the rates of narcissism rising at an alarming and steady rate. Her research found that two thirds of college students scored high in narcissism according to the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the most reliable test available (Twenge 69).
An article that looks at the causes and effects of narcissism goes as far as to say that maybe children need to hear a far different message than the one they hear in school growing up: “from Brad Pitt's character in Fight Club: “Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else” (Shepherd 20). This may be a little extreme, but the message is clear; children have been taught to be narcissistic by their very own teachers and parents, and it is time to stop teaching self-love and replace the message with one of humbleness.
Author Jean Twenge asserts that “Like self-esteem, self-focus and individuality have been actively promoted in schools” (72). We are reconstructing segregation in schools and carrying it into adulthood because of the focus on the self and the alienation that focus creates (Stout 176). People grow up feeling separate from each other, believing and trusting only in themselves. The exploration of our self-identity has become our top priority.
The problem with teaching children at such a young age how important it is to have high self-esteem is that they will learn through trial and error the easiest way to maintain and promote a sense of high self-esteem, whatever the cost may be of themselves or others. They have been taught that feeling bad about themselves is a horrible thing, and they should avoid it at all cost. There are some tactics commonly used in order to avoid feeling bad about oneself and to maintain a high regard for actions that should be considered negative:
Avoiding low self evaluations may occur through increased efforts at self-improvement or, more typically, through such self-serving activities as selective perception and memory, various strategies of impression management, and restructuring the environment and/or redefining the situation to make it reflect a more favorable view of self (Gecas and Longmore 1419).
Looking around at the world today, there is no shortage of evidence of the long-term results of self-esteem programs. The first generation of self-esteem indoctrinated adults are running the world, and they are a completely new breed. Self-interests are placed above all else, and happiness and individualism are the top contenders on a short list of priorities.
The world of marketing has taken full advantage of a generation full of easy targets. People that put themselves first are the world's perfect consumer, and makes advertising for the corporate world a simple task; you need only appeal to the consumer's selfish wants. Since the typical victim of the self-esteem movement has a fragile high self-esteem that needs to be filled with immediate gratification to be maintained, advertisements that make them feel like they need something to feel better about themselves make sense. They first set the consumer up by telling them they are not good enough, they must be skinnier and prettier. Then they tell them that the product they are selling will make them skinnier or prettier (or both).When the advertised product gives only a temporary sense of high self-esteem, the consumer will again need another product to make them feel better.
There is evidence that the general feelings about self-esteem programs are slowly changing, especially over the past decade. Most organizations are reevaluating the way in which self-esteem is obtained and maintained. The National Association for Self-Esteem has a very specific definition of self-esteem on their website, and gives a fairly realistic overview. They state that there is a defined difference between “healthy self-esteem” and “pseudo self-esteem”, and that these differences are important and should be noted (What is Self-Esteem?). The problem with this approach is that this healthy self-esteem that they refer to cannot be taught in schools, it only comes from life experience and esteeming others around us.
High self-esteem is not a cure-all for the children in America. The programs have done a severe amount of damage over the past 50 years, and most of that damage cannot be undone. Even if you wanted to ignore the evidence that the programs are harmful, have they improved anything? Fifty years after the self-esteem programs were implemented into schools, are our test scores any better as a nation? Are our crime rates any lower? Have the rates of suicides, pregnancies, or violence gone down? No, they have not. Statistics from the Bureau of Justice shows that violent crime rates dramatically increased from 1960 until 1992, when they finally peaked at the highest levels in fifty years (Violent Crime Rates in the United States).
Public and private schools lack the structure and resources needed to actually foster proper self-esteem. The self-esteem created by the programs that have been implemented into schools over the past several decades has created a population of adults and children who are more self-centered and narcissistic than any previous generation. Assumptions were made regarding the fragile development of children, and assumptions lead to unknown outcomes. The adults who have recently entered the working world are attempting to deal with criticism and humiliation, and they are grossly unprepared for it. Their responses to the negative judgment resemble the very behaviors they were supposedly vaccinated against as youngsters. These individuals are victims, yet most of them are beyond repair, and they will pass their notions of individualism and self-love onto the next generations unless we intercept these ideas, and direct the future generations in a new direction. We need to return to the ideas of humbleness, selflessness, and dignity.
Works Cited
Gecas, Viktor and Monica Longmore. “Self-Esteem.” International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family. Ed. James J. Ponzetti. Vol. 3. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. p1419-1424. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
Girl Scouts of the USA. 21 November 2011 <http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/leadership/uniquelyme.asp>
Harmin, Merrill. “The Workshop Way to Student Success.” 1990 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 28 November 2011. <http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_199009_harmin.pdf>
“Importance of High Self-Esteem : Implicit vs. Explicit Self-Esteem.” Harvard Health Publications. June 2007. 21 November 2011. <http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance-of-self-esteem>
Kernis, Michael H., Chad E Lakey and Whitney L. Heppner. "Secure Versus Fragile High Self-Esteem As A Predictor Of Verbal Defensiveness: Converging Findings Across Three Different Markers." Journal Of Personality 76.3 (2008): 477-512. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Kernis, Michael H. "Measuring Self-Esteem In Context: The Importance Of Stability Of Self-Esteem In Psychological Functioning." Journal Of Personality 73.6 (2005): 1569-1605. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
“School Self-Esteem Programs Get Mixed Grades.” FoxNews.com. 15 March 2002. 21 November 2011 <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,47409,00.html>
Shepherd, Tory. “Levels of Narcissism Are Rising With Experts Blaming the Internet for Rewarding Shameless Self-Promotion.” The Advertiser (Australia). 14 June 2011, state ed.: 20. Lexis Nexis Academic. Web. 21 November 2011.
Stearns, Peter N. “Self-Esteem.” Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. p736-738. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
Stephenson, Frank. "For the Love of 'Me'." Florida State University Research in Review. Summer 2004: 16-31. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Oct 2011.
Stout, Maureen. The Feel-Good Curriculum: the Dumbing-Down of America's Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem. Cambridge: Perseus Books, 2000. Ohlone College Library. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.
Tobin, Rebecca and Hwang, Yong G. "The Dangers of the Self-Esteem Rhetoric in Educating Children With Disabilities." Education Vol. 118. (1997): p130-134. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Oct 2011.
Twenge, Jean M. Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled- and More Miserable Than Ever Before. New York: Free Press, 2006.
“What is Self Esteem?” National Association for Self-Esteem. 2010. 20 November 2011 <http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/what.php>.
“Violent Crime Rates in the United States.” Wikipedia.org. 8 July 2011, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 28 November 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Violent_Crime_Rates_in_the_United_States.svg>
