Turbulent Voyage
Throughout childhood and adolescence, interaction with peers at school or any other social happening provides reflections as an individual gauges him/herself in relation to others to determine what sort of person he or she is...
Self-Esteem: INFERIORITY
Do you know that 80 percent of teenagers don't like the way they look. Physical attractiveness is the most important of three characteristics that teenagers must have in order to feel good about themselves. The other two that we will be discussing shortly are intelligence and money.
"That zit is huge!" "My feet are too big!" "I'm too short!" They usually find something about themselves that they don't like. No matter how minor the problem is, it can create great anxiety and depression. Most teenagers scrutinize themselves in the mirror not liking what they see. Since none of us are perfect, they usually find something about themselves they don't like; they get preoccupied with what seems like a disfigurement.
The sense of being dumb, stupid, unintelligent and the like makeup the second characteristics that young people don't like about themselves. This feeling often has its roots in the early years of school when they have trouble learning. Having a hard time learning to read often causes lots of worry. Another source of anxiety (worry) comes from giving the wrong answer and having other students laugh at them (or the fear of). A sense of inferiority is often held by the person as they believe that everybody in the classroom thinks there stupid.
Money is the third attribute that young people use to measure their worth. Many teenagers believe that being from a poor family is less important than being from a wealthy one. They believe that to be accepted and popular one must be wearing the clothes of fashion and their parents have to be driving a particular kind of car, or they have to live in a big house in the right part of town, or their father has to have a certain kind of job.
When teenagers first discover that they are lacking in one (or all three) of the most highly valued attributes in our society - i.e. beauty, intelligence, and money - they begin sliding downward in despair.
Self-Esteem: CONFIDENCE
The old adage of "Ignorance is Bliss" could not be further from the truth:
By knowing that you're not alone, that everyone is afraid of embarrassment and ridicule, you will gain more confidence: A task that you can perform to test this fact; when you go to school tomorrow, quietly watch the students coming and going. Some will be laughing and talking and carrying their books or just hanging-out. You would never think, unless you take a second look, you'd never know they had a care in the world.
These doubts are revealed by your fellow students by being very shy and quiet, or by being extremely angry and mean, or by being silly, or by being afraid to participate in a game or event, or by blushing frequently, or by acting proud and conceited or stuck-up. Once you fully understand that others feel just as you do, then you should never feel alone again and you should gain more confidence with this understanding.