Can high self-esteem protect children from drug abuse?

Joseph Wu*, Raymond M C Chan

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    There has been a belief that high self-esteem is highly desirable. Based on this premise, a number of programs has been designed and launched in schools and educational settings to boost children's self-esteem. However, a recent review by Baumeister and colleagues (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003) reported that there was only weak evidence to support this premise. They further pinpointed possible drawbacks of having high self-esteem in certain circumstances. In a sample of 593 school children in the sixth grade in Hong Kong primary schools, the association of self-esteem to attitudes towards drugs and drug abuse was examined. There was weak evidence to support a claim that children with high self-esteem could refrain themselves better from drug abuse. In short, findings from our study echoed Baumeister's view that boosting children's self-esteem might not be a worthwhile practice in all circumstances. It calls for a second thought about the implementation of self-esteem enhancement programs in school and educational settings.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationHandbook on The Psychology of Self-Esteem
    PublisherNova Science Publishers
    Pages161-173
    Number of pages13
    ISBN (Electronic)9781631172267
    ISBN (Print)9781631172250
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Publication series

    NamePsychology of Emotions, Motivations and Actions
    PublisherNova Science Publishers

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Psychology(all)
    • Medicine(all)

    User-Defined Keywords

    • Attitudes towards drug use/abuse
    • Hong Kong
    • Primary school children
    • Self-esteem

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