Volume 25 · Number 1 · Fall 2007
Tips for Parents
Tips for parents from Richard Robins, professor of psychology, on helping adolescents maintain positive self-esteem:
1. Let adolescents know that a drop in feelings of self-worth is a fairly normal part of the teenage experience. This might help reduce any stigma from these changes.
2. Help your children find or focus on existing areas of competence (e.g., academics, athletics and hobbies) where they can be successful. This can help them develop feelings of mastery and pride in their accomplishments. It is important, in this context, for parents to praise children for their efforts rather than for their ability, which can cause self-esteem to fluctuate with each success and failure.
3. Downplay the importance of physical appearance, which particularly influences self-esteem in girls and is especially problematic given the physical changes associated with puberty. Parents should talk to their girls about the models they see in magazines and on TV, and try to help them understand what is realistic and healthy and what is not.
4. Look out for signs of problem behaviors and difficulties that may accompany low self-esteem, such as depression, aggression, involvement with problematic peers and substance abuse.
« Back to "It's Just a Phase . . . Isn't It?"