The Antecedents of Self-Esteem (A Series of Books in Behavioral Science) [Hardcover]

Stanley Coopersmith (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 283 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman & Company; 1st edition (March 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716709120
• ISBN-13: 978-0716709121
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Inquiry into the Origins of Self-Esteem, January 28, 2003

By 

Charles E. Joubert (Florence, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Antecedents of Self-Esteem (A Series of Books in Behavioral Science) (Hardcover)

Self-esteem, the sujective evaluation made by people as to their general worthiness, has developed into a lively area of research within the psychology of personality and has even been perceived as a controversial goal within the area of educational theory. The first is not surprising, since back in 1890 William James defined Self Esteem = Success/Aspirations. The controversy seems, on casual observation, to be a faux issue with the claim that schools prefer enhancing self-esteem to imparting subject matter. Why should it come to an either/or dichotomy?

Stanley Coopersmith developed a series of self-esteem measures, and reported on the reliability and validity results in this book. Probably casual readers might find this heavy going; but this information is necessary to put the research on a scientific basis.

Coopersmith explores some of the chracteristics that distinguish children who are high in self-esteem from those who aren't. Typically, the children who are higher in self-esteem tend to prefer challenges, and are less daunted by the prospect of failure. (It's like, "I feel good about myself . . . . So I failed. So what? I still feel good about myself."

Particularly informative is Coopersmith's inquiry into the family dynamics that are correlated with higher or lower levels of self-esteem. Incidentally, the developmental psychology research has essentially supported these findings. Thoughtful readers might glean some fine ideas for dealing with the multiple tasks of parenting.

In sum, this is a very thoughtful early work that launched self-esteem research. It is recommended both for interested psychologists and lay people. It is easily understandable, and gives some good ideas on how to rear children.