Self-esteem in childhood and adolescence: Vaccine or epiphenomenon?

Abstract

Recent accounts of the adaptive significance of self-esteem during childhood and adolescence have varied dramatically and fueled the emergence of a “self-esteem debate.” On one side of the debate, self-esteem is portrayed as a powerful positive influence on youth adjustment. By contrast, the other side has argued that hypothesized effects of self-esteem do not exist at all. A review of empirical findings suggests that both views are oversimplified and inaccurate. The adaptive implications of self-esteem during childhood and adolescence instead appear to be complex and differentiated, ranging from highly beneficial to possibly even negative. Recent results indicate the importance of considering (a) multiple, distinct facets of self-esteem; (b) the moderating influence of youth characteristics, environmental experiences, and processes in the formation and maintenance of self-esteem; and (c) bidirectional, recursive linkages between self-esteem and adaptive functioning throughout development. The adaptive implications of self-esteem for children and adolescents also appear to be most usefully investigated within the context of broader frameworks that allow for consideration of the role of self-esteem as an intervening or mediational process and its interdependent relationships with other aspects of the developing self-system. Implications for interventions designed to enhance youth self-esteem are discussed.