1. self esteem BY EMMA

2. SELF-ESTEEM Self-esteem is important because it enables you to have the confidence to be yourself. If you have self- esteem you will say what you think and do what you think is right, rather than say or do thing to impress other people.

3. In psychology, self-esteem reflects a person's overall self-appraisal of their own worth. Self-esteem encompasses both beliefs and emotions. Behaviour may reflect self-esteem. Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic (trait self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations (state self-esteem) occur. Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example: "I believe I am a good writer, and feel proud of that in particular") or have global extent (for example: "I believe I am a good person, and feel proud of myself in general").

4. Building self-esteem Though it's impossible to legislate high self-esteem, our own self- esteem has huge implications for our life paths. Our history of self- esteem begins as children, and follows us throughout our lives; it affects all our decisions - and, like a garden, needs constant tending. One example of self-esteem can be seen in setting out upon our careers. For a person to make a non-traditional career choice, for example, a woman becoming a commercial pilot, or to go against family desires, requires someone to have a belief in their ability to make appropriate decisions, even though significant others in their life disagree with them. Almost everyone can identify when they're on top of the world, enjoying the benefits of high self-esteem. However, experts have theorised that high self-esteem can also act as a cushion for those times when life lets us down. Rejections, disappointments and failure are a part of daily life.

5. Bullying, violence and murder Some of the most interesting results of recent studies center on the relationships between bullying, violence, and self-esteem. People used to assume that bullies acted violently towards others because they suffered from low self-esteem These findings suggest that the low-esteem theory is wrong. But none involves what social psychologists regard as the most convincing form of evidence: controlled laboratory experiments. When we conducted our initial review of the literature, we uncovered no lab studies that probed the link between self-esteem and aggression. In contrast to old beliefs, recent research indicates that bullies act the way that they do because they suffer from unearned high self- esteem.

6. INFO I GOT THIS INFO FROM http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/ment al_health/emotion_esteem.shtml