An Argument for Competency Based Self Esteem
In the study of human development, it is vital to understand one'sself by determining an individual's self-concept of his or her self. Self-concept, defined as one's awareness of personal characteristics,attributes, and limitations, is also directly linked to the development ofself-esteem. Self-esteem takes the idea of self-concept to a higher levelin understanding human development: it is the evaluative component of self-concept. It has two kinds: the "loved and worthy" kind of self-esteem andcompetency based self-esteem. The first kind, which is often referred toas "feel-good" self-esteem, provides a positive view of an individual'sself-concept primarily because the individual "feels good" about himself or
Moreover, studies have shown that far from influencing and cultivatingpositive behavior towards self and others, there have been little supportfrom research attesting to the truth of this claim. Competency-based self-esteem allows room forimprovement and realization of an individual's limitations and capabilitiesas an individual, and knowing these shall help him/her create a healthierand more honest perception of his/her self-concept. " Another critique offeel-good self-esteem is the claim that it is through others that we get toknow our real selves-the truth about our self-concepts. ency-based self-esteem, meanwhile, develops positively whenan individual feels s/he has performed or behaved well in a particular taskor endeavor; otherwise, negative self-esteem develops. Studies have onceagain shown that this is not the case. This is because individuals harbor inaccurate images ofthemselves as individuals worthy and productive for the society. Viewed fromthe competency-based self-esteem perspective, it is apparent that never hasa generation had more self-esteem for less reason than the contemporarysociety. This paper argues that feel-good self-esteem creates a falseimpression of an individual realizing his/her fullest potential in thesociety, and that competency-based is the healthiest and most effectivemeans by which children and even adults can develop their personalitiesbased on actual behavior than perceived self-concepts that are mainly basedfrom other people's judgment. While in the present paradigm that American culture and societystands on concerning the issue of self-esteem, it is evident that whatdominates contemporary society today is feel-good self esteem. Feel-good self-esteem, as stated earlier, is not constructive forpersonality development because it does not give room for competition amongindividuals and learn by themselves their capabilities and limitations. Furthermore, feel-good self-esteem does not result to the strengthening ofself-concept, while competency-based self-esteem tend to strongly supportor refute an individual's self-concept, simple because s/he has proof thatindeed, s/he is competent or incompetent in a particular task, activity orendeavor s/he constantly engages in. Studies on children's academicachievement illustrate that self-esteem-based educational models have beenineffective in increasing students' academic achievement as compared to the"effective teaching of academic skills" model. Researches found outthat causal relationship between self-esteem and achievement is stillunfounded, or for some studies, "consistently low. These refutations of claims for feel-good self-esteem highlight thehard truth that far from being constructive, it is actually destructive forthe individual.
Common topics in this essay:
,
feel-good self-esteem,
competency-based self-esteem,
individual's self-concept,
particular task,
academic achievement,
individual feels,
human development,
contemporary society,
studies shown,
self- concept,
|
Acceptance Essays
