Session 5

Unit Six: Self-Esteem

If you find you need more space or you don't have access to a printer, remember that you can use your Resource Guide or plain paper to complete these questions.

Encouraging Self-Esteem Activity:

You have learned that protecting the child and nurturing his or her development is one of the foster and adoptive parent’s primary tasks. An important way to do this is to provide a home environment that encourages self-esteem.

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Self-esteem develops when the primary needs of life have been appropriately satisfied. Self-esteem can be gained when people experience positive feelings within four distinct conditions.

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The Four Conditions of Self-Esteem

 

How are these four conditions inter-related?

All four of these conditions should be present continuously for a high sense of self-esteem to be developed and maintained. No one condition is more important than another. If any condition is not adequately provided for, there is a decrease or distortion of self-esteem.

 

Self-esteem affects how a person:

• feels about him or her self,
  
  
• thinks, learns, and creates,
  
  
• evaluates him or her self,
  
  
• relates to other people, and
  
  
• behaves.

 

Self-Esteem Activity

Connectiveness: The feeling a person has when he or she can gain satisfaction from significant associations with others.
	How are children affected if they are left alone and/or neglected?
Uniqueness: The special sense of self a person feels when he or she can acknowledge and respect qualities that make him or her special and different, and when he or she receives respect and approval from others.
	How are children affected if there are no adults around to develop their talents or give them praise and encouragement?
Power: The sense that comes from having the resources, opportunity and capability to influence his or her own circumstances of life.
	How are children who have been abused or neglected and taken from their home affected in terms of power?
Models: Reference points-role models, examples- that provide a person with the means to establish meaningful values, goals, ideals, and personal standards.
	What happens if children have no role models or have role models who teach violence, bigotry, abuse substances/alcohol?
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