Comments on: Research affirms value of self-esteem in black children?

By: Lester Spence

Lester Spence — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:56:56 +0000

I thought that self-esteem was the purview of the psychologists?

By: Rachel S

Rachel S — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:52:19 +0000

Pop culture references to self esteem are almost always wrong…it seems to mean whatever people want to it.

Unfortunately, sociologists have done a poor job of letting people know what it really is.

By: Lester Spence

Lester Spence — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:25:22 +0000

See where I say that I was going to argue about the method? We’re on the same page. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that their test measured “self-esteem.” It does SOMETHING, but what they do didn’t appear to be about self-esteem at all. And I’ve got a knee jerk reaction against self-esteem research in black children for the reason you note above.

By: Rachel S

Rachel S — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 03:36:32 +0000

Just a note from the resident sociologist. Almost all of the studies on self esteem find that African Americans have equal or higher self esteem compared to whites. This study is not actually measuring self esteem. I suppose it is a little closer to measuring self efficacy, but even so the primary dependent variable is scores on a test, not self attitudes.

I know I’m being picky here, but there is a huge gap between the sociological literature and how mass media frames these sorts of issues.

By: Temple3

Temple3 — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:11:25 +0000

It’s not as if “white” folks haven’t propped up their own mediocrity with this revisionism that school’s call a curriculum. There are tons of pieces written by folks of all “races” about the extent to which the youth – and the nation have been misled.

Seriously, where would Karl Rove be without his miseducation? “Self-esteem” – everybody needs it, everybody wants it. Sing!!

By: Chanda

Chanda — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:17:01 +0000

I think that your words and the words of others can form what you believe about yourself. Thus, what you believe about yourself is how you may perform. Now whether or not you choose to listen to the words of others to form your belief in yourself is another choice. I think that anything that will produce positive results in children is worth a try. Whether it is an affirmative statement that the teacher says to them and then they recite out loud about themselves, or whether it is something they write down before their test. It is better than doing nothing at all or telling them negative statements that affect them in the adverse way.

By: vaughn

vaughn — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:10:26 +0000

Self esteem and success has a direct relationship;in fact where there an absent of it,often time there’s failure.The power of the word.

By: Lester Spence

Lester Spence — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:03:54 +0000

Elisabeth!

My wife and I instituted a mini-ritual where for each child’s birthday before we blew out the candles for the cake, we’d say what we appreciated about this person. Very similar in purpose (if not form).

I disagreed (in my earlier draft) with the idea that this type of exercise was a self-esteem exercise. I stepped away from that position because I realized that I’ve got a knee-jerk reaction against “self-esteem” as a concept.

By: Elisabeth

Elisabeth — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:15:32 +0000

no comment of the methodology- but I know a few teenagers who’d be well-served by this 15 minute intervention!