Self
esteem or sense of identity
This refers
to the image that the child forms of himself, or the mental associations
that the child acquires when he refers to himself. These associations
derive from the way the child has been treated in the past. His emotional
reactions and the conclusions he forms about himself depend on his
interpretation of his experiences and the situations he has experienced
from childhood. From a young age, a child creates strategies on how
to live, which will possibly accompany him throughout life. The way
parents act towards their kids motivates, forms and reinforces these
strategies. The child builds a behaviour, defence and survival system,
according to the way his parents act towards him. In the future, these
systems will allow the child to overcome the suffering or discomfort
of negative situations.
If the
child has been treated with affection and as someone important, if
he has been respected, if he has been helped to realise his skills
and if the parents have dedicated the necessary attention to him,
his self-esteem will be positive. First of all he will feel important
with his family and at school and in life after that. Having self-esteem
acts as a type of injection against the impact of adversaries. There
will be good and bad moments in life, but self-esteem will always
be there to assume the good and bad moments.
The child
that has been considered as a person that is learning, instead of
as a potential person, will have a positive self-esteem.
The child
that hasn’t had this opportunity will usually base his self-esteem
on the opinion of others for his whole life. He will find it very
difficult to accept himself how he is and he will be constantly trying
to improve without external pressure. His life and his growth depend
on whether he dares to improve.
