DEFINITION PARAGRAPH

SELF-ESTEEM

Self-esteem can be defined as the way people manage their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about themselves. Patterns of self-esteem start very early in life, and once people reach adulthood is harder to make changes of how they see and define themselves. For example, if people since childhood have experienced heartbreak, loneliness, depression, sadness, and verbal or physical aggression, they may eventually develop low self-esteem which will cause people become insecure and hesitate about their abilities. A different example of patterns of self-esteem would be if people since childhood have experienced love, understanding, support, success, and happiness, they may develop high self-esteem which is very acceptable in the right amount. Parents and caregivers also play an important role in the building of self-esteem; they can encourage children to follow this pattern try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed. Self-esteem is an overall opinion of oneself- how people feel about their abilities and limitations. Self-esteem is how people value themselves.