Page 72 - C:\Users\Abdul Kadir Bagis\Documents\Flip PDF Corporate Edition\Abdul Kadir Bagis, M. Pds\

CHAPTER FOUR
THEORIES ON SELF-ESTEEM

1. The Nature of Self-Esteem

We all have our own idea of what we mean by self-esteem,

but in any discussion of self-esteem amongst a group of

teachers there are likely to be several different definitions. The

chances are that amongst these definitions the words self-

concept, ideal self and self-image will appear (Lawrence 2006:

1).

According to Branden (1994: 4) self-esteem, fully realized,

is the experience that we are appropriate to life and to the

requirements of life. Furthermore, he also added that people with

high self-esteem are not driven to make them superior to others;

they do not seek to prove their value by measuring

themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is in

being who they are, not in being better than someone else

(Branden, 1992: 46).

Meanwhile, Lawrence (2006: 5) states that self-esteem is

the individual’s evaluation of the discrepancy between self-

Page 67 of 96