Adult Development of Self Esteem Essay

Self-esteem is simply a belief in one’s own worth. This refers to the ability of one to respect and value oneself. Everyone needs a feel of self-worth and a healthy self-esteem in order to live a happy and fulfilling life.  Several theoretical reasons have been forwarded to show that self-esteem might show systematic developmental changes from young adulthood to old age though it is unlikely to show normative changes over time, change in ones esteem can occur in response to important transitions or major life events therefore altering behavior, affect, cognition or context (Wylie, 1979).Adult Development of Self Esteem Essay

The transition from midlife to old age is sometimes characterized by high levels of instability due to changes in roles for example retirement, decline in both mental and physical ability which may adversely affect one’s self esteem, compared to mid-life’s stability in work, family ties, romantic relationships, control over self and the environment, ability to acquire power and status which promote self-esteem. This therefore leads to predictions that self-esteem levels will drop in old age though other theories defy this saying that older individuals may maintain their self-esteem and wellbeing because they are buffered against the adverse effects of various life transitions by a host of coping processes (Twenge, & Campbell, 2002).