According to Stanley Coopersmith, self-esteem is made up of four components: significance, competence, power and virtue. Self-esteem is the evaluation of one’s own self worth. This self worth equips students with the ability to be confident and capable individuals. The four components discussed are similar to the basic described by Glasser: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun. In Choice/Reality Theory we are all driven by these five basic needs.
From my own experience working with youth, self-esteem is as essential as described above. Students strive to be accepted. They desire to be significant to others; both adults and peers. A sense of accomplishment, power and achievement keeps youth from feeling helpless or inferior. Through high self-esteem students can begin to identify who they are. What their values and beliefs are.
This comes from personal experience, honest reflection, setting goals and achievement of those goals. Having a healthy self-esteem does not mean that the person is perfect, but learns from their choices good and bad. Achieving your goals adds to yourself worth; which in turn helps achieve other goals and wants. The WDEP system of Reality Therapy is a tool that can be used to help students increase their self-esteem. First students identify specific wants. Then students examine what they are currently doing to attain that want. The next step is evaluating whether what they are doing is working and to make a plan to achieve that want.
The study skills group I am leading has just started utilizing this goal setting technique. They have already shared that this has given them the confidence and structure to be academically successful. Encouragement is another tool that is being used in the study skills group. As a school counselor my personal goal is to equip students with such tools to build a healthy self-esteem.
From my own experience working with youth, self-esteem is as essential as described above. Students strive to be accepted. They desire to be significant to others; both adults and peers. A sense of accomplishment, power and achievement keeps youth from feeling helpless or inferior. Through high self-esteem students can begin to identify who they are. What their values and beliefs are.
This comes from personal experience, honest reflection, setting goals and achievement of those goals. Having a healthy self-esteem does not mean that the person is perfect, but learns from their choices good and bad. Achieving your goals adds to yourself worth; which in turn helps achieve other goals and wants. The WDEP system of Reality Therapy is a tool that can be used to help students increase their self-esteem. First students identify specific wants. Then students examine what they are currently doing to attain that want. The next step is evaluating whether what they are doing is working and to make a plan to achieve that want.
The study skills group I am leading has just started utilizing this goal setting technique. They have already shared that this has given them the confidence and structure to be academically successful. Encouragement is another tool that is being used in the study skills group. As a school counselor my personal goal is to equip students with such tools to build a healthy self-esteem.
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