Self-esteem - what it is: concept, structure, types and levels. Self-Esteem Correction

Each person tends to constantly evaluate himself, his behavior and actions. This is necessary for the harmonious development of personality and building relationships with other people. The ability to give yourself a correct assessment has a huge impact on how society perceives a person, and on his life in general.

The concept of self-esteem in psychology

All people from time to time analyze their character, look for pluses and minuses in themselves. The concept of self-esteem in psychology is the ability of a person's consciousness to form an idea of ​​himself and his actions, as well as to judge his skills, abilities, personal qualities, advantages and disadvantages. Self-esteem allows people to be critical of themselves, set various goals and achieve them, measure their capabilities with the requirements in certain areas of life, think about actions and make informed decisions.

The ability to introspection has a great influence on the formation of people's behavior. Personal qualities such as uncertainty and determination, activity and restraint, sociability and isolation are directly dependent on self-esteem. A person's opinion of himself determines the attitude of others around him.

Types of self-esteem in psychology

What types exist? Depending on how correctly a person evaluates himself, the following main types of self-esteem in psychology can be distinguished: adequate and inadequate.

If a person's opinion of himself coincides with what he really is, then it is considered adequate. It should apply to all adults. Adequate self-esteem in psychology is the ability of an individual to more or less objectively form an opinion about his person.

In people with inadequate self-esteem, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthemselves is sharply at odds with what others think of them. At the same time, such an opinion can be overestimated or underestimated.

Depending on the susceptibility to the influence of external factors, stable and floating self-esteem are distinguished. Stable self-esteem in psychology is a person's unchanging opinion of himself in any situation. In cases where the idea of ​​oneself changes depending on mood, success or defeat, approval or condemnation of others, it is floating.

What influences the formation of self-esteem

Every person tends to compare himself to some ideal image, to who he would like to be. The coincidence of the real self-image with the desired one plays a huge role in the formation of self-esteem. The further the true image is from the perfect one, the lower the person's opinion of himself.

A significant influence on the formation of self-esteem has an attitude towards the individual of others. Of particular importance are the opinions of the closest people: parents, relatives and friends.

The real achievements of a person in a particular field of activity also affect self-esteem. The higher the personal success, the better the person's opinion of himself.

How do you instill positive self-esteem in your child?

All parents want to see their child prosperous and happy. How great results a person can achieve in life directly depends on self-esteem. To instill a positive self-esteem in a child, it is necessary to adhere to the recommendations given by psychology. A person's self-esteem begins to form in early childhood. For the baby, approval and encouragement from adults and their peers is important. If not, the child develops low self-esteem.

Children very clearly capture the attention to them from adults. If a child notices that he is being ignored, he gets the impression that he is not interested in others. In turn, this negatively affects his self-esteem. Thus, in order to form a positive opinion of the child about himself, he must constantly feel protected, significant and important.

What problems does poor self-esteem lead to?

When people do not know how to properly assess themselves, to adequately judge their strengths and weaknesses, they can have many problems. Both low and high self-esteem negatively affects a person's life.

When people tend to always make a choice for the worse, believing that they are not worthy of another. This applies to finding a partner, work and much more. As a result, people experience constant dissatisfaction, but at the same time they are afraid to take decisive steps to somehow change the situation.

In psychology, this is when a person considers himself much better than he really is. This is also a big problem for a person. First of all, it affects relationships with others. It is difficult for people to communicate with those who constantly put themselves above others, boast and exalt their person. As a rule, a person with too high self-esteem has very few friends.

signs and causes

It is important for any person to feel self-confidence. However, having too much self-image often does more harm than good.

Calculating a person with high self-esteem is quite easy. These people are very selfish. They always put their own interests above those of others. They love to talk about themselves, often interrupt and translate the topic of conversation if it is not interesting to them. They do not want to know the opinions of other people, they consider their point of view on any issue to be the only true one. A person with high self-esteem takes on difficult, sometimes impossible work with pleasure, and in cases of failure falls into despair and depression.

What leads to the formation of inflated self-esteem in people? First of all, this is a wrong upbringing. When parents indulge their child in everything, do not limit anything and are ready to fulfill all his desires at the very first request, the child forms the opinion that he is the most important person in the world, and everyone should idolize and worship him.

How to learn to adequately evaluate yourself?

If you notice that your child has high self-esteem, it is urgent to take measures aimed at ensuring that he learns to form an adequate opinion about himself, otherwise it will be very difficult for him to build relationships with others later. First of all, it is worth limiting the praise of the baby, trying to explain in which situations success is his merit, and in which successful circumstances led to him.

Correcting high self-esteem in an adult is much more difficult. Such people most often do not see or do not want to see the problem, and, accordingly, do not want to deal with it. Explaining to a person that he has inadequate self-esteem is almost impossible.

If you realize that your self-image is too high, you need to make considerable efforts to learn how to evaluate yourself adequately. Most importantly, you need to understand that everyone has the right to their opinion, and if it differs from yours, this does not mean at all that it is wrong. Learn to listen to others, make concessions, selflessly help people.

and its signs

Low self-esteem in psychology is a condition in which a person thinks of himself much worse than he really is. It leads to such problems as isolation, constraint, jealousy, envy, resentment.

The problem of many individuals is low self-esteem. The psychology of such people is such that they, as a rule, seek to get a job that requires a minimum degree of responsibility. When choosing a partner, they unconsciously attract people who only reinforce their self-doubt. They are prone to excessive self-criticism, focusing on their shortcomings. Such people often complain, consider themselves unlucky and helpless.

How to increase your self-esteem?

According to statistics, men are more likely to overestimate their self-image. Women, on the other hand, are more inclined to underestimate their merits, they are more likely to look for flaws in themselves - such is their psychology. is a very difficult problem for them.

As a rule, the cause of low self-esteem in women lies in dissatisfaction with their appearance or figure, as well as hidden complexes caused by failures in personal relationships or careers.

How to increase a woman's self-esteem? Psychology advises, first of all, to start concentrating on your merits. Think about what are your positive qualities? Why do you deserve better in life than you have? Every woman can find something good in herself. For example, someone cooks well, someone sings beautifully, dances, someone is endowed with a list of their positive qualities must be repeated as often as possible so that they are deposited at the subconscious level.

To increase self-esteem, try to communicate with people who respect and support you. Watch your appearance, dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident. Raising your self-esteem can be very difficult, the main thing is not to give up and believe that you will succeed.

The way a person treats himself “programs” him for further accomplishments. Self-perception plays a big role in everyone's life, so it should not be overlooked. Basic knowledge about this will not harm anyone, and, most likely, will even benefit. They will help to identify problematic points and, if possible, correct them. The article talks about the concept of self-esteem, its formation, the possibility of change, the identified types and levels.

What is self-esteem

Self-esteem is the level of self-acceptance, the ability to critically analyze one's own capabilities. It is inextricably linked with self-love. A person with a lot of complexes will not be able to experience this feeling until he gets rid of them. Self-esteem affects how easy it is for an individual to communicate with others, achieve goals, and develop. Those who have it underestimated experience serious difficulties in all areas.

The problem with low self-esteem is that its owners refuse to change. Often they are sure that such an attitude towards themselves persists for life. This is an erroneous opinion, because many factors influence self-perception; it cannot be the same throughout life.

How self-esteem is formed

Its foundations are laid in childhood. After infancy, the child begins to realize the essence of comparisons, self-esteem appears in his system of concepts. Parents should be careful with statements addressed to their son or daughter. Phrases like “Alina studies better in all subjects” or “but Dima is already learning a second language by his fourteen” do not motivate children. Rather, such expressions make them hate both Alina and Dima, and sometimes their parents, who strike at self-esteem. The child/adolescent should not feel that they need to earn the love of loved ones or try to overtake their peers in a far-fetched race. He needs first of all support and faith. On the contrary, praise also does not lead to the formation of an adequate assessment.

Adults who inspire the child that he is the most talented, and the rest are no match for him, do a disservice. Raised on praise, even out of puberty incapable of self-criticism. This prevents them from developing, eradicating their own shortcomings. Some of those who at one time received an “overdose” of compliments and flattery become downtrodden and unsociable in adulthood. This pattern of behavior is the result of a combination of parental actions and harsh reality. The understanding that he is not unique in his own uniqueness leads a person to depression and other mental disorders.

In addition, a number of other factors affect self-esteem, including environment(classmates, classmates, work colleagues, relatives), financial situation, education. Many complexes come from the school. Victims of bullying cope with fears for a long time, and are subject to phobias for the rest of their lives. The comparison of one's own financial situation with the income of more successful people hits hard on self-esteem. But self-evaluation is not static; it changes throughout life, the level depends, among other things, on the efforts of its owner.

Types of self-assessment

There are three main types. Their names are used not only in psychology, but also in everyday life. You can often hear phrases like "he has inadequate self-esteem." Classification helps to understand how individuals evaluate themselves, how close their opinion is to objectivity.

Adequate self-esteem- a species characteristic, unfortunately, for a minority of people. Its owners know how to treat their abilities sensibly, do not deny shortcomings, trying to get rid of them. In addition, the emphasis is on strengths that are actively developed. Few are capable of adequate self-criticism. Often you can observe two extremes - either bust with self-flagellation, or inflated conceit.

Radical qualities are signs of the second type of self-esteem, which is commonly called distorted(inadequate). Its formation is almost always the result of complexes, explicit or hidden. Often behind inflated self-esteem lies insecurity, attempts to appear better in the eyes of others. Understated differs in that its owner directly broadcasts his own complexes - he talks about them to others, behaves accordingly (stiffness, stiffness, difficulties in communication).

There is another type inherent in the majority - mixed. It means that at certain moments of life a person treats himself differently. He is able to adequately evaluate actions / deeds, devote time to excessive self-criticism, while sometimes overestimating his own skills. Alas, the majority fails to maintain a balance, and such “fluctuations” are fraught with mental problems.

Levels of self-esteem

There are three main levels, as well as types. They demonstrate a degree of self-love, the ability to see both positive and negative traits, and closeness to balance. Levels are associated with species, but there are still differences, which will be discussed further.

Low

The first, the most disliked by all. They try to get rid of low self-esteem by all available means. There are thousands of techniques that tell how to deal with complexes, and some of them are effective. Level refers to distorted perception; it is characterized by an inability to praise oneself, an underestimation of one's merits, a high level of anxiety, constant comparisons with others who are more successful. Those who have problems with self-esteem are easy to offend - just play a joke on them or hint at a lack of appearance / knowledge. Low self-esteem creates a lot of inconvenience. She really is worth fighting for.

Normal

One of the indicators that a person does not have serious mental health problems. He knows how to listen to the inner voice, analyzes his own mistakes, is able to make jokes about himself. At the same time, such a person will not allow her to be insulted, forced to do useless tedious work, and her rights are ignored. It is worth striving for this level, because it is recognized as optimal.

high

The third level is inherent in those who focus on their strengths, losing sight of their shortcomings. It is no less dangerous than the low one. This type of self-perception is not adequate. Those with high self-esteem easily ignore constructive criticism. It is hard for them to get out of their comfort zone, they resist it with all their might. Ossification of beliefs, rejection of others is a big problem. Its danger also lies in the difficulty of recognition. It is believed that vehemently defending his position is strong, confident, reliable. But there is also the other side of the coin: unshakable convictions hinder development, do not give the opportunity to learn, try something new.

As a result- self-esteem directly depends on living conditions, upbringing and environment. However, unfavorable factors are not a reason to give up on yourself. With a strong desire, the attitude towards oneself can be successfully corrected, and there are many examples when downtrodden, indecisive men and women turned into liberated, strong personalities. It all starts with the awareness of problems, the desire to change for the better and, of course, efforts.

In psychological research, self-esteem is interpreted as a personal formation that is directly involved in the regulation of behavior and activity, as an autonomous characteristic of the personality, its central component, which is formed with the active participation of the personality itself and reflects the quality of its inner world in a peculiar way (L. I. Bozhovich, A. G Kovalev, K. K. Platonov and others). The leading role is given to self-assessment in the framework of the study of the problems of self-consciousness: it is characterized as the core of this process, an indicator of the individual level of its development, an integrating principle, its personal aspect, organically included in the process of self-consciousness (K. G. Ananiev, I. O. Kon, A. G. Spirkin, V. V. Stolin and others).

Consider, for example, several definitions of the concept of "self-esteem".

The psychological dictionary edited by V. P. Zinchenko, B. G. Meshcheryakova claims that self-esteem (English self-esteem) - value, significance, which the individual endows himself as a whole and certain aspects of his personality, activities, behaviour.

I. I. Chesnokova writes that self-esteem is usually understood as an internalized mechanism of social contacts, orientations and values, which is transformed into an assessment by a person of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people.

According to A. A. Rean, self-esteem is a component of self-consciousness, which includes, along with knowledge about oneself, a person’s assessment of his physical characteristics, abilities, moral qualities and actions.

The definitions given in the Psychological Dictionary, by A. A. Rean and I. I. Chesnokova, in our opinion, do not reveal the ways of forming self-esteem, do not give its sufficient essential characteristic. Therefore, in this term paper, we will use the definition of A. V. Zakharova: self-esteem is a form of reflection by a person of himself as a special object of knowledge, representing accepted values, personal meanings, a measure of orientation towards socially developed requirements for behavior and activity.

Self-esteem is reflected in the situation of self-esteem. It is an intellectual-reflexive action: a person considers himself, his actions and qualities as an object of evaluation and at the same time is a carrier of these qualities, i.e. active subject.

The leading role is assigned to self-esteem in the framework of the study of self-consciousness problems: it is characterized as the core of this process, an indicator of the individual level of its development, its personal aspect, organically included in the process of self-knowledge. In addition, self-esteem is included in the structure of self-consciousness. For example, R. Burns understands the self-concept as a set of attitudes “to oneself”. Accordingly, he identifies the following components:

1) the image of "I" - the idea of ​​the individual about himself;

2) self-assessment - an affective assessment of this representation, which may have a different intensity, since specific features of the image of "I" can cause more or less strong emotions associated with their acceptance or condemnation;

3) potential behavioral response, i.e. those specific actions that can be caused by the image of "I" and self-esteem.

S.L. Rubinshtein notes that self-esteem, as an essential component of a person’s holistic self-awareness, is a necessary condition for a person’s harmonious relationship, both with himself and with other people with whom he enters into communication and interaction.

Psychological research convincingly proves that the characteristics of self-esteem affect both the emotional state and the degree of satisfaction with one's work, study, life, and relationships with others. However, self-esteem itself also depends on the factors described above.

Thus, self-esteem is a form of reflection by a person of himself as a special object of cognition, representing accepted values, personal meanings, a measure of orientation towards socially developed requirements for behavior and activity. Self-esteem is a component of the self-concept. It determines the nature of a person's social behavior, his activity, the need for achievements, setting goals and productivity. Therefore, many scientists agree that self-esteem is, if not the core of the personality, then at least one of the most important personal formations.

In this section, the following questions will be considered: the concept of self-esteem, its levels, conditions for the formation and functions, as well as the definitions of self-esteem given by domestic and foreign authors.

Most definitions of self-esteem consider it as a component, aspect or dimension of the I - the concept, or self-consciousness (it is typical for Russian psychology to present self-esteem as a component of self-consciousness). There are four main interpretations of the psychological nature of self-esteem, depending on which aspect of it (for example, emotional, regulatory, evaluative) comes to the fore.

For the first option, it is typical to consider self-esteem as an affective component of the "I - concept", to associate it with an emotional attitude towards one's "I", or to consider self-esteem as a special kind of emotional-value attitude, or as an evaluative aspect of all relationships to oneself, showing how a person relates to himself, what opinion he has about himself. Predominantly three feelings related to self-esteem dominate literature: self-love, self-approval, and a sense of competence.

Another interpretation considers self-esteem as itself containing these three aspects - cognitive, reflecting the idea or opinion about oneself; emotional; behavioral or represents it as a two-level formation containing sensory (emotional) and rational (cognitive) components.

In the third version of the understanding of self-esteem, it is presented as an attitude system, as a relationship between different levels of "I", as an education that summarizes a person's past experience and structures new information about himself, as a regulator of human activity and behavior. In the context of this approach, self-esteem is most often defined through the correspondence between the real and the ideal "I", the discrepancy between which serves as an indicator of the "height" of self-esteem. Considering self-esteem as the leading component of self-regulation, researchers reveal the possibilities and types of its regulatory functions, subdividing them into evaluative, control, stimulating, blocking and protective ones.

Representatives of the fourth approach to understanding the psychological nature of self-esteem emphasize the need to distinguish assessment from emotions and behavioral reactions, separating it from other similar constructs and phenomena, highlighting a separate aspect in the I-concept - evaluative, which correlates with the concept of self-esteem. In this context, self-esteem is presented as the result of the development of self-relationship and the work of self-knowledge, as the unity of a person’s knowledge of himself and his relationship to himself, but at the same time not reducible to any of these components.

The general definition of self-esteem may sound like this: self-esteem is a person's idea of ​​the importance of his personal activities in society and the assessment of himself and his own qualities and feelings, dignity, shortcomings, their expression openly or closed.

The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion.

Self-assessment performs the following functions:

firstly, regulatory, on the basis of which the solution of problems of personal choice takes place;

secondly, protective, providing relative stability and independence of the individual;

thirdly, the function of development - self-esteem is the impetus for the development of personality.

A significant role in the formation of self-esteem is played by the assessments of the surrounding personality and the achievements of the individual. In theory, self-esteem is a person's assessment of himself.

For most people, self-esteem is not set initially, it must be earned or deserved. Therefore, a person, proving his value and significance, seeks to achieve success and avoid failures in those areas on which his self-esteem rests. Failure, failure, or just the threat of them in areas that are relied upon in terms of personal significance are especially stressful and may entail efforts to reduce acute feelings of failure, shame and humiliation; maintaining self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect; and most importantly - "the preservation at any cost, even through illness, of the integrity of the individual and the individual "I" in the eyes of a person" .

S. Coopersmith studied the psychological conditions of self-esteem and conducted appropriate experiments. During one of his studies, he identified three levels of self-esteem:

Low self-esteem

Average self-esteem

A high self-evaluation.

In addition, he also determined the conditions for the formation of one or another level of self-esteem.

So, the conditions for the formation of low self-esteem: low self-esteem turned out to be closely related to the attempts of parents to form in the child the ability to accommodate, that is, to adaptive behavior. This is expressed in the following requirements for him: obedience; the ability to adapt to other people; dependence on adults in everyday life; neatness; conflict-free interaction with peers. The desire of parents to put children in submission, a dependent position leads to a decrease in self-esteem. The child in this situation is psychologically broken, he does not trust the world around him, he lacks a sense of his own personal value.

Conditions for the formation of average self-esteem: the results of a survey of a group of children who have an average self-esteem make it possible to identify a number of characteristic features of their upbringing in the family. Parents of such children tend to take a condescending, patronizing position towards them. The level of parental claims in this group was lower than that of the parents of the other two groups. Modest goals allow them to accept children as they are, to be tolerant of their behavior. And at the same time, various independent actions of children cause anxiety in parents. The acquisition of independent personal experience outside the home of children in this group is usually limited. Compared to children with high self-esteem, children in this group are more guided by the opinions of other people about themselves.

Conditions for the formation of high self-esteem: an important feature of the families of this group is clear, pre-established authority in decision-making, unambiguous manifestation of authority and responsibility. One of the parents takes over the main decisions that the whole family agrees on. Less fundamental decisions, for example, on domestic issues, are made collectively. In such families, an atmosphere of mutual trust reigns, each member feels included in a common home circle. Thus, high self-esteem develops in children in families characterized by cohesion and solidarity. In the eyes of the child, parents are always successful. He readily follows the patterns of behavior they set, persistently and successfully solves the daily tasks that confront him, as he feels confident in his abilities. He is less prone to stress and anxiety, benevolently and realistically perceives the world around him and himself.

S. Coopersmith believes that the decisive factor in the formation of self-esteem is rather the relationship of the child in the family than the general conditions of his social existence.

Domestic and foreign scientists studying self-esteem give it different definitions. And now, I would like to consider these definitions.

1 - According to L.V. Borozdina: "Self-esteem is a personal judgment about one's own value, self-esteem reflects the degree of development in an individual of a sense of self-esteem, a sense of self-worth and a positive attitude towards what is included in the sphere of the Self."

Any attempt to characterize oneself contains an evaluative element determined by universally recognized norms, criteria and goals, ideas about the levels of achievement, moral principles, rules of conduct.

An important role in the formation of self-esteem is played by the comparison of the image of the real I with the image of the ideal I, that is, with the idea of ​​​​what a person would like to be.

L.V. Borozdina considers self-esteem as a special function of self-consciousness, irreducible to any of its components, neither to the cognitive dimension, nor to the emotional one. The nature of self-esteem lies in a person’s awareness of what this or that knowledge about himself is for him, in the awareness of its significance for himself, therefore “self-esteem answers the question: not what I have, but what does it cost, what does it mean, mean?” .

2 - V. Zinchenko gives the following definition: Self-esteem is a value, significance, which an individual endows himself as a whole and certain aspects of his personality, activity, behavior. Self-esteem acts as a relatively stable structural formation, a component of the I-end, self-consciousness, and as a process of self-evaluation. The basis of self-esteem is the system of personal meanings of the individual, the system of values ​​adopted by him. It is considered as a central personality formation and a central component of the self-concept.

Self-esteem performs regulatory and protective functions, influencing the behavior, activities and development of the individual, its relationships with other people. Reflecting the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself, the level of self-esteem, self-esteem creates the basis for the perception of one's own success and failure, setting goals of a certain level, that is, the level of a person's claims. The protective function of self-esteem, providing relative stability and autonomy (independence) of the individual, can lead to a distortion of experience data and thus have a negative impact on development.

The self-esteem of a developed individual forms a complex system that determines the nature of the individual's self-relationship and includes general self-esteem, which reflects the level of self-esteem, holistic acceptance or non-acceptance of oneself, and partial, private self-esteem, characterizing the attitude to certain aspects of one's personality, actions, and the success of certain types of activities. Self-esteem can be of different levels of awareness and generalization.

Self-esteem is formed on the basis of assessments of others, assessment of the results of one's own activities, as well as on the basis of the ratio of real and ideal ideas about oneself. The preservation of the formed, habitual self-esteem becomes a need for a person, which is associated with a number of important self-evaluation phenomena, such as the affect of inadequacy, the discomfort of success, and others.

3 - I. I. Chesnokova understood self-esteem as the interaction of two spheres: emotional-value self-relationship and the sphere of self-knowledge, creating a special formation of personality self-awareness - self-esteem, which is included in the regulation of personality behavior. With the help of self-assessment, the level of a person's knowledge of himself and his attitude to himself is reflected, which, according to I.I. Chesnokova, is a necessary internal psychological condition for the identity of a person, his constancy.

4 - According to A.V. Zakharova, self-esteem is "the central, nuclear formation of a personality, through the prism of which all lines of a child's mental development are refracted and mediated, including the formation of his personality and individuality." 5 - According to Leontiev A.N. self-esteem is one of the essential conditions, thanks to which the individual becomes a person. It forms in the individual the need to correspond to the level of requirements of others and to correspond to the level of their own personal assessments.

6 - I.S. Kohn understands self-esteem as a cognitive substructure, the function of which is to generalize the past experience of the individual and structure new information about the "I", that is, to fix the subject's knowledge of himself.

7 - According to A. G. Spirkin: Self-esteem is a well-known attitude towards oneself: to one's qualities and states, capabilities, physical and spiritual strengths. Man as a person is a self-evaluating being. Without self-esteem it is difficult and even impossible to self-determine in life. True self-esteem involves a critical attitude towards oneself, constant trying on one’s capabilities to life’s requirements, the ability to independently set feasible goals for oneself, strictly evaluate the course of one’s thoughts and its results, subject the guesses put forward to thorough verification, thoughtfully weigh all the pros and cons. ”, abandon unjustified hypotheses and versions. True self-esteem maintains the dignity of a person and gives him moral satisfaction. An adequate or inadequate attitude towards oneself leads either to the harmony of the spirit, which provides reasonable self-confidence, or to constant conflict, sometimes leading a person to a neurotic state. The most adequate attitude towards oneself is the highest level of self-esteem.

8 - In the context of the concept of the meaning of "I" V.V. Stolin distinguishes in the image-I of knowledge, self-image, including in the form of an assessment of the severity of certain traits, and an emotional-value attitude as a relatively stable feeling, experience. Self-attitude is presented as containing three axes: "sympathy-dislike", "respect-disrespect", "closeness-isolation", the second of which is correlated with self-esteem, since it is more evaluative in nature, involving comparison with certain standards, norms or standards. Here, self-esteem is interpreted rather than as love / self-hatred, not as self-acceptance / self-rejection, but as a sense of competence, self-respect, when the emphasis is on the process of self-assessment - comparing one's traits, actions, abilities with some standards, standards.

Important in the concept of the meaning of "I", based on the nature of human activity, is the ability to go beyond the self-consciousness of the individual, considering self-relationship in connection with the motives, needs and goals of a person's real life. However, in the concept of V.V. Stolin's self-esteem as an independent component of self-consciousness disappears, being included and often dissolved in two other components - I - image and self-attitude.

9 - S. R. Pantileev, continuing the development of the concept of the meaning of "I", proposed by V.V. Stolin, more clearly defined the role and place of self-esteem in the structure of self-consciousness. According to his research, self-relationship appears as a hierarchical-dynamic system containing two subsystems: a system of self-assessments and a system of emotional-value attitude towards oneself, each of which is connected in a specific way with the meaning of "I". Thus, in his opinion, self-assessments are not included in the system of emotional and value attitudes, but represent a special education. From the point of view of S.R. Pantileeva, the fundamental difference between self-esteem and emotional self-attitude lies in the difference in the bases of these types of assessment. The mechanism of self-evaluation is a social comparison or comparison with the norm, standard, i.e., a reflection of the subject-subject relationship of superiority and preference. The mechanism of self-attitude is a reflection of attitudes and preferences within the "I - I" system, where "I" is compared with "another in itself". Self-esteem, from the point of view of S.R. Pantileeva, is more exposed to the action of protective mechanisms, more dependent on success or failure. The system of self-assessments is determined by the possibilities of successful implementation of activities prompted by incentive motives, while the emotional attitude towards oneself is based on meaning-forming motives.

In the case of evaluation, self-attitude (i.e., a system of self-assessments) according to S.R. Pantileev represents self-esteem, a sense of competence or a sense of efficiency. As an emotion, self-attitude appears as sympathy, self-esteem, values, self-acceptance. However, it should be noted that it is very difficult to distinguish between self-esteem, for example, and a sense of self-worth.

Thus, we can conclude that for domestic authors, self-esteem is the result of the development of self-relationship and the work of self-knowledge, the unity of a person’s knowledge of himself and his attitude towards himself, but at the same time not reducible to any of these components.

Now I would like to consider what definitions of self-esteem are given by foreign scientists.

1 - R. Burns. For this author, self-esteem is one of the components of the self-concept. I-concept is the totality of all the individual's ideas about himself, associated with their assessment. The descriptive component of the self-concept is often called the Image of the Self or the Picture of the Self. The component associated with the attitude towards oneself or one's individual qualities is called self-esteem or self-acceptance. Self-esteem is an affective assessment of an individual's idea of ​​himself, which can have different intensities, since specific features of the self-image can cause more or less strong emotions associated with their acceptance or condemnation.

2 - According to M. Rosenberg, self-esteem is a positive or negative attitude aimed at a specific object called the Self. I. Therefore, low self-esteem involves self-rejection, self-denial, a negative attitude towards one's personality.

3 - According to S. Coopersmith, self-esteem is an individual's sense of self-worth, which for other people is manifested in certain reactions. The self-esteem that a person develops and maintains is a purely personal and subjective psychological state.

4– In the classical concept of W. James, the idea of ​​actualizing the ideal I is based on the concept of self-esteem, which is defined as a mathematical relationship - the real achievements of the individual to his claims. So, whoever achieves in reality the characteristics that determine the ideal image of the Self for him, he must have high self-esteem. If a person feels a gap between these characteristics and the reality of his achievements, his self-esteem, in all likelihood, will be low.

5 - F. Zimbardo writes that self-esteem is a person's opinion about himself, formed as a result of comparing himself with other people.

Thus, we can conclude that for foreign authors, self-esteem is an affective assessment of an individual's idea of ​​himself; it reflects the degree to which an individual develops a sense of self-esteem, a sense of his own value and a positive attitude towards everything that enters the sphere of his Self.

To summarize this section, we have considered such questions as:

the concept of self-esteem (this is a person's idea of ​​the importance of his personal activities in society and the evaluation of himself and his own qualities and feelings, advantages and disadvantages, their expression openly or closedly);

its levels (low, medium and high);

conditions for the formation of a certain level of self-esteem;

self-assessment functions (regulatory, protective and developmental function);

and also what definitions of self-esteem are given by foreign and domestic authors.

Self-esteem

Evaluation by a person of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people. Relating to the core of the personality, S. is an important regulator of her behavior. Relationships of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, his attitude to successes and failures depend on S. Thus, S. affects performance efficiency man and further his personality. S. is closely related to level of claims person, i.e., the degree of difficulty of the goals that he sets for himself. The discrepancy between the claims and the real capabilities of a person leads to the fact that he begins to incorrectly evaluate himself, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate (emotional breakdowns occur, increased, etc.). S. receives an objective expression in how a person evaluates the possibilities and results of the activities of others (for example, belittles them when S. is overestimated). The works of domestic psychologists show the influence of S. on the cognitive person (,, intellectual tasks) and the place of S. in the system interpersonal relationships, methods for the formation of an adequate S., and in the case of its deformation, its transformations by means of educational influences on a person are determined.

Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: PHOENIX. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .

Self-esteem

An assessment by a person of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people is a value attributed by him to himself or to his individual qualities. Relating to the core of the personality, it is an important regulator of behavior. The relationship of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, his attitude to successes and failures depend on it. Thus, it affects the efficiency of activity and the further development of the individual. The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion.

The main functions performed by self-assessment:

1 ) regulatory - on the basis of which the solution of problems of personal choice takes place;

2 ) protective - providing relative stability and independence of the individual.

Self-esteem is closely related to the level of a person's claims - the degree of difficulty of the goals he sets himself. The discrepancy between claims and real possibilities leads to the fact that he begins to evaluate himself incorrectly, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate - emotional breakdowns, increased anxiety, etc. belittles them with high self-esteem). A significant role in the formation of self-esteem is played by the assessments of surrounding personalities and the achievements of the individual.

In domestic psychology, the influence of self-esteem on human cognitive activity (, solving intellectual problems), the place of self-esteem in the system of interpersonal relations are shown, methods for the formation of adequate self-esteem are determined, and when it is deformed, methods for transforming it through educational influences.

Dictionary of practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998 .

The value that an individual ascribes to himself or to his individual qualities.

The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion. The main functions that are performed by self-esteem are regulatory, on the basis of which the tasks of personal choice are solved, and protective, ensuring the relative stability and independence of the individual. A significant role in the formation of self-esteem is played by assessments of the surrounding achievements of the individual and his personality.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000 .

SELF-ESTEEM

(English) self esteem) - value, significance, which the individual endows himself as a whole and certain aspects of his personalities, activities, behavior. S. acts as a relatively stable structural formation, a component I-concepts,self-awareness, and as a process of self-assessment. S. is based on the system personal meanings the individual's value system. It is considered as a central personality formation and a central component of the self-concept.

S. performs regulatory and protective function, influencing the behavior, activities and development of the individual, her relationship with other people. Reflecting the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself, the level of self-esteem, S. creates the basis for the perception of one's own success and failure, setting goals of a certain level, i.e. the level of claims of the individual. The protective function of S., providing relative stability and autonomy () of the individual, can lead to a distortion of experience data and thereby have a negative effect. impact on development.

S. of a developed individual form a complex system that determines the nature of the individual's self-relationship and includes general S., which reflects the level of self-esteem, holistic acceptance or non-acceptance of oneself, and partial, private S., characterizing the attitude to certain aspects of their personality, actions, the success of certain types of activity. S. m. b. different levels of awareness and generalization.

The page is characterized by a trace. parameters: 1) level (value) - high, medium and low S.; 2) realism - adequate and inadequate (overestimated and underestimated) S.; 3) structural features - conflict and conflict-free S.; 4) temporary about th relatedness - prognostic, actual, retrospective S.; 5) sustainability, etc.

For the development of personality, such a nature of self-relationship is effective when it is enough high overall The page is combined with adequate, differentiated partial S. different levels. A stable and at the same time sufficiently flexible S. (which, if necessary, can change under the influence of new information, gaining experience, assessments of others, changing criteria, etc.) is optimal both for development and for the productivity of activity. Negative influence is rendered by excessively steady, rigid S., and also strongly fluctuating, unstable. S.'s conflict can have both productive, and disorganizing character. S.'s instability and conflict increases during critical periods of development, in particular, in adolescence.

S. is formed on the basis of assessments of others, assessment of the results of one's own activities, and also on the basis of the ratio of real and ideal ideas about oneself. Preservation of the formed, habitual S. becomes for a person need, which is associated with a number of important self-evaluative phenomena, such as , discomfort of success, etc. See also mirror self. (A. M. Parishioners.)

Added ed.: Ros. psychologists often call S. any judgment of a person about himself: age, abilities, character, plans, experiences, etc. For example, in Sat. with the ambitious title “The Best Psychological Tests for Career Selection and Career Guidance”, a “test” is proposed called the “Self-Esteem Scale” (Ch. D. Spielberger, Yu. L. Khanin), which is considered a method of S. anxiety level (as a state and personality traits) . "WITH." here it is contrasted, for example, with expert judgment.

Big psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

Self-esteem

   SELF-ESTEEM (with. 526) - an element of self-consciousness, characterized by emotionally rich assessments of oneself as a person, one's own abilities, moral qualities and actions; an important regulator of behavior. Self-esteem determines the relationship of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, attitude towards successes and failures. Thus, self-esteem affects the effectiveness of a person's activities and the development of his personality. Self-esteem is closely related to the level of claims, goals that a person sets for himself. Adequate self-esteem allows a person to correctly correlate his strengths with tasks of varying difficulty and with the requirements of others. Inadequate (overestimated or underestimated) self-esteem deforms the inner world of the individual, distorts its motivational and emotional-volitional spheres and thus prevents harmonious development.

Self-esteem develops, firstly, under the influence of those assessments that other people give a person. A person tends to evaluate himself as, in his opinion, he is evaluated by others. Disregard for this kind of “external” assessment is rarely sincere, a person takes it into account one way or another. Secondly, self-esteem is formed as a result of comparing the image of the real "I" (how a person sees himself) with the image of the ideal "I" (how a person would like to see himself). A high degree of coincidence between these formations corresponds to a harmonious mental disposition.

Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005 .

Self-esteem

Our opinion about ourselves. When evaluating their abilities, children may have a high or low opinion of themselves, depending on their own success and the assessments of those around them. In early childhood, a child judges himself according to four main criteria:

1. Cognitive competence: the ability to solve problems and achieve goals.

2. Social competence: the ability to maintain relationships with other people.

3. Physical competence: “what can I (or can’t) do” - run, play football, etc.

With age, the criteria for self-esteem become more differentiated as ideas about our attractiveness to the opposite sex, our sense of humor, professional suitability, etc. form. In some theories, self-esteem is considered as the result of a combined perception of our abilities in all areas of life. Since some areas seem more important than others (for example, we may not care about our own appearance or physical strength), we tend to weigh the importance of each opinion rather than sum them up. According to other views on the development of self-esteem, it is based on the opinions and judgments of other people (see).

Psychology. AND I. Dictionary-reference book / Per. from English. K. S. Tkachenko. - M.: FAIR-PRESS. Mike Cordwell. 2000 .

See what "self-esteem" is in other dictionaries:

self-esteem- self-esteem … Spelling Dictionary

Self-esteem- this is a person's idea of ​​the importance of his personal activity in society and the assessment of himself and his own qualities and feelings, advantages and disadvantages, their expression openly or closedly. The main evaluation criterion is the system ... ... Wikipedia

SELF-ESTEEM- assessment by the individual of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people; one of the most important regulators of personality behavior ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Self-esteem- the value that an individual ascribes to himself or to his individual qualities. The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion. The main functions that are performed by self-assessment, regulatory, based on ... ... Psychological Dictionary