Identity and self-worth are closely related and formed early in life. Identity is based on established characteristics and categories, while self-esteem is how people see themselves in relation to society. Acceptance and belonging are essential for building high self-esteem and early identity formation.
Identity and self-worth are both rooted in how a person sees themselves, and while they are separate, they overlap and feed into each other in many ways. Psychologists usually discuss identity in terms of how a person classifies based on a set of established characteristics and categories. This can include things like family origin, cultural background, religion and nationality. Self-esteem is usually thought of more in terms of how people see themselves in relation to the wider society and how they rate their own worth. In most cases self-esteem is strongly influenced by identity. People often rate their self-worth based first on how they see themselves stacking up against others in their identity group, but they also tend to be influenced by how they perceive that identity stacking up against others in a more global people landscape. Both are usually formed early in life, often in childhood, and experts usually believe that weaknesses in either area can increase the risk of things like depression and eating disorders during adolescence and later in life. adult.
Understand the identity
Identity, also commonly referred to as “self-identity,” has to do with what an individual believes their total self as an individual encompasses. This covers a very broad area, including cultural identity, gender and sexual identity, as well as religious identity. Some of these are more or less fixed, such as place of birth or nationality. There are also usually certain aspects that are chosen, and as people grow older they often self-select certain groups and identities based on the characteristics they express.
Titles, be they logical or illogical, permanent or temporary, tend to carry a lot of weight with people. When people see themselves as belonging to a particular category of people, they more often understand themselves as the type of people who do everything the group is supposed to be doing, or who act in ways that are stereotyped or broadly associated with more universal behavior. of others who similarly identify themselves as members of the group. There is an extent to which people who identify with members of a certain group actually adopt some of the behaviors of the larger group, often unconsciously. While identity has a direct effect on how people feel about themselves, self-worth is often reflected in the kinds of things people choose to believe or express about that identity more universally. The two are usually quite powerfully related in this respect.
Basics of self-esteem
Collectively, self-esteem is basically how a person sees their worth compared to others. Those with high self-esteem typically believe they are worthy, like themselves regardless of noted imperfections, and are generally confident; they know what is important to them and trust their instincts and inclinations. People with low self-esteem, on the other hand, more often see themselves as inferior and may question the legitimacy of their own desires and interests. These types of people often have little regard for themselves, feeling that they are not really important and that everything they do is ineffective.
Overlaps and primary interrelationships
Most scholars think that a child’s first sense of self-worth is closely related to how they initially view identity. It is often thought that a child who feels nurtured and loved is more likely to feel valued and form positive identity associations. Similarly, children who are encouraged to demonstrate their talents and to seek out activities they find enjoyable often have an easier time defining who they are as individuals who are both similar to and different from those around them. Cultural identity and formative issues based on family traditions also play into children’s early associations with what it means to be an individual and, more specifically, what it means to be theirs.
Gradually progressing over time, identity and self-esteem are influenced by factors such as school, peers, parenting, and work at every stage of human development, especially during childhood and adolescence. The widely cited “Stages of Development” theory suggests this, emphasizing that an individual can change his social life at any time to improve himself, affecting his identity and self-esteem in a positive way.
Role of acceptance and belonging
The twin concepts of acceptance and belonging are usually essential for building high self-esteem and also play a role in early identity formation. American psychologist Abraham Maslow revealed this concept through his well-respected hierarchy of needs pyramid, in which there are five levels of human needs categorized from lower-level needs to higher-level ones. His theory assumes that there are specific needs that are essential for survival even before higher-level needs can be met, which include self-actualization and self-esteem. People must feel that they belong, are loved, respected, and accepted by others before self-worth needs can be adequately met, demonstrating yet another way that identity and self-worth are associated.
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