The educational importance of self-esteem

Journal of Philosophy of Education 42 (1):119-132 (2008)
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Abstract

Some philosophers of education have recently argued that educators can more or less ignore children's global self-esteem without failing them educationally in any important way. This paper draws on an attachment theoretic account of self-esteem to argue that this view is mistaken. I argue that understanding self-esteem's origins in attachment supports two controversial claims. First, self-esteem is a crucial element of the confidence and motivation children need in order to engage in and achieve educational pursuits, especially in certain domains of instruction such as physical education. Second, self-esteem can be facilitated socially, through an appropriate arrangement of school institutions, thus without hindering the pursuit of other high priority aims such as a challenging academic curriculum. Consequently I maintain that educators who ignore self-esteem overlook something educationally important.

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Matt Ferkany
Michigan State University

Citations of this work

Self‐Esteem: On the Form of Self‐Worth Worth Having.Jessica Isserow - 2023 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 104 (4):686-719.
Self-Respect in Higher Education.Attila Tanyi - 2023 - In Melina Duarte, Kjersti Fjørtoft & Katrin Losleben (eds.), Gender Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Academia: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Transformation. London: Routledge. pp. 140-152.

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References found in this work

Self‐Esteem: The Kindly Apocalypse.Richard Smith - 2002 - Journal of Philosophy of Education 36 (1):87–100.
Self-Esteem: The Kindly Apocalypse.Richard Smith - 2002 - Journal of Philosophy of Education 36 (1):87-100.

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