The Dark Side of Self-Esteem

Ask almost any teacher, and he or she will tell you there is a high correlation between low self-esteem and violence, both in and out of the classroom.

Yet a new study contradicts that belief.  Roy F. Baumeister and Joseph M. Boden, Case Western Reserve University, and Laura Smart, University of Virginia, reported their findings in the Psychological review, 1996, Vol. 103. The trio defines self-esteem as a "favorable global evaluation of oneself". They point out that its synonyms have mixed connotations - "pride, egotism, arrogance, honor, conceitedness, narcissism, and a sense of superiority." People who perceive themselves a "superior" may feel it is their "right" to take what belongs to someone else - or attack an "inferior" person "without remorse". The researchers propose that the major cause of violence then "is high self-esteem combined with an ego threat... Favorable views of self that are unwarranted, exaggerated, or ill-founded would be especially prone". Their research also revealed that gang members often possess inflated egos, causing them to react violently when someone "disses" (disrespects) them.

Could schools be encouraging such behavior by artificially elevating children's self-esteem?

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