Life changes and transitions could effect the development of self-esteem. This can include rejection/acceptance, loss of parents/gain of parental figure, loss of partner/gain of partner, loss of relationship/gain of relationship, redundancy/gain of career, loss of mobility and, onset of a chronic or terminal illness. [Edexcel, 2010]
Loss of Parents/Gain of Parental Figure
A child who has experienced the loss of a major individual within their life (parent, guardian, sibling, etc.) could experience …show more content…
Tajfel believed that it is the social groups we identify ourselves with which determine our self-esteem. If you consider yourself in the ‘in group’ you present a higher self-esteem compared to if you consider yourself in the ‘out group’ which is generally degraded and belittled by the in group in order for their self-esteem and status to rise. Cooley believed that our social interactions with others determines our self-esteem. Knowing what others think of us could shake levels of self-doubt, however, if what is known is negative it could encourage insecurity; our levels of insecurity in social interactions determines what others think of us. Tajfel very much supports the idea in that the out group present lower self-esteem and insecurity when interacting with the in group as they could often be degraded or belittled in order to enhance the in group’s status. Another similarity between these theories is that both very much concentrate on an individual’s self-esteem development depending on where they place themselves in the social ranking. If an individual considers themselves to be lower in the social ranking (the out group/unknowing of others opinions/negative opinions from others) then they are more likely to present low self-esteem and insecurity whereas if an individual considers themselves to be higher in the social ranking (the in group/knowing of others opinions/positive opinions from others) then they are more likely to have a higher self-esteem and