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Factors such as appearance, success, and home life affect the self-esteem of high school students, falling into two categories: global and situational. Appearance is a common factor, as well as involvement in extracurricular activities and success. Home life also plays a role. Seeking professional help may benefit those with low self-esteem.
Overall, the same types of factors that influence self-esteem in adults influence self-esteem in high school students. A teenager’s appearance, successes and achievements, and home life can either raise or lower her self-esteem. Such factors generally fall into one of two categories. Some influence global self-esteem, which is the overall evaluation of oneself, and others influence situational self-esteem, which is the temporary view of oneself. Sometimes, dealing with self-esteem issues is a regular part of high school, and other times students need help dealing with self-esteem and perhaps other mental and emotional health issues.
The two basic types of self-esteem, global self-esteem and situational self-esteem, affect adolescents in many of the same ways they affect adults. In general, the differences are in how adults have learned to deal with these problems. Additionally, many adolescents focus more on situational or temporary self-esteem in high school than on global, general self-esteem. Thus, high school students could group all common self-esteem factors, such as appearance, engagement, and success, into the global self-esteem category. However, some of these factors are temporary and, if altered, can even change adolescents’ self-esteem levels.
Outer appearance is one of the most common factors affecting self-esteem in high school. High school students often base a person’s worth on their looks. Therefore, a student who suffers from acne, doesn’t wear the “right” clothes, or is too thin or overweight, may be suffering from low self-esteem. Such a student may feel that she doesn’t fit in, or others may not want to be friends with her because of these perceived shortcomings. Both situations can lead to low self-esteem.
A student’s involvement in extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, and special events can affect their self-esteem in high school. Often, a high school student who participates in such activities has high self-esteem, while a student who does not engage in activities that cultivate and satisfy her interests may suffer from low self-esteem. Success and achievements can help students improve their self-esteem in high school. Getting good grades, earning praise and awards, and reaping other benefits from their harsh word can help promote healthy self-esteem. Similarly, students who work hard but receive no recognition, or who do poorly in school, may have low self-esteem.
A student’s home life plays a significant role in their emotional and mental well-being. Those in healthy relationships with their parents and other family members tend to have higher self-esteem than those in unhealthy and dysfunctional family relationships. Sometimes, students who have poor family relationships will seek nurturing and approval from other adults, such as friends’ parents or teachers, but some teens don’t, or feel they don’t have someone else to turn to.
For some adolescents, none of these factors matter in relation to their self-esteem in high school. A student might be attractive, get excellent grades, take part in a variety of extra-curricular activities, and have a loving and supportive home life and still have low self-esteem. Such students may suffer from depression or other emotional or mental health issues that prevent them from making accurate and healthy assessments of themselves.
Students experiencing low self-esteem in high school might benefit from some sort of professional help. Some students find that talking to teachers they trust helps, while others seek assistance from school psychologists or outside therapists. These people can help them with ways to improve their self-evaluations and thus boost their self-esteem.
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