Replying to LO24351 --
Winfried,
I'd like to make two comments re: your contribution.
First, American kids stating "I am good at mathematics" is not necessarily
a reflection of high self-esteem. It may be that very little is expected
of them and they are doing well with what is expected. Kids from other
countries may be expected to do far more, therefore they learn far more,
but it is more difficult for them and they don't live up to the teachers'
expectations, so they feel "I am not good at math." The important point
is that the survey is not necessarily reflective of high or low
self-esteem.
Second, I and my associates have worked with well over 1,000 clients who
had problems ranging from depression, to eating disorders, to violence, to
worrying what people think of them (and everything else listed in the
Baltimore Sun article). In every single case, the clients found beliefs
such as I'm not good enough, I don't matter, I'm not worthwhile, etc., and
had a very negative sense of themselves. They would be described as
having low self-esteem. When the beliefs were eliminated and the negative
senses de-conditioned, (and other specific beliefs also related to the
problems also were eliminated) the problems they came in with totally
disappeared.
I'm not sure I remember Aristotle's four types of causes, but I'd say that
low self-esteem is a necessary cause, but it isn't a sufficient cause for
personal problems and social ills. There are many very successful people
(by society's standards, i.e., money, status, power) who also have low
self-esteem. They also have other beliefs that they use to cope with the
low self-esteem that enable them to succeed despite the low self-esteem.
(I describe in detail how this works in my book, Re-create Your Life:
Transforming Yourself and Your World.)
Also, bragging, presenting yourself as important or smart, etc. are not
signs of high self-esteem. In fact, they are symbolic of the opposite.
Who would have to convince himself and others that he is important?
Certainly not someone who really thought he was. Someone who experiences
himself as OK just the way he is has nothing to prove. This experience is
not necessarily correlated to specific achievements or knowledge.
I totally agree with and have a lot of experience to validate the
Governor's assumption about low self-esteem. I disagree with the
definition of self-esteem and the prescription for instilling self-esteem
that is presented by most "experts" on the subject.
Thanks again for continuing the dialogue.
Morty
Morty Lefkoe
For information about the Decision Maker(R) Institute or
Re-create Your Life: Transforming Yourself and Your World
contact: morty@decisionmaker.com or visit www.decisionmaker.com
----- Original Message -----
> "A standardized math test was given to 13-year-olds in six countries last
> year. The Koreans came in first. Americans did the worst, coming in behind
> Spain, Britain, Ireland and Canada. Now the bad news. Besides being shown
> triangles and equations, the kids were shown the statement "I am good at
> mathematics." Koreans came in last in this category. Only 23% answered
> yes. Americans were no. 1, with an impressive 68% agreement.
>
> American students may not know their math, but they have evidently
> absorbed the lessons of the newly fashionable self-esteem curriculum
> wherein kids are taught to feel good about themselves. Of course, it is
> not just educagtors who are convinced that feeling good is the key to
> success. TThe governor of Maryland recently announced the formation of a
> task force on self-esteem, "a 23-member panel created on the theory,"
> explains the Baltimore Sun, "That drug abuse, teen pregnancy, failure in
> school and most other social ills can be reduced by making people feel
> gook about themselves." Judging by the international math test, such task
> force may be superfluous. Kids already feel exceedingly good about doing
> bad."
--"Morty Lefkoe" <morty@decisionmaker.com>
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