Differences in self-esteem among adolescents Self-evaluation is, simply put, a self-image, how we value who we are, what we do and the results we achieve. Self-esteem develops from childhood and throughout life is influenced by life experiences and environmental reactions to our behavior. Parents are the most important persons in a child's life and therefore play a significant role in the development of positive self-esteem.

Self-evaluation is one of the components of self-concept and is thus formed as a result of social comparison and self-assessment. Self-assessment is carried out on the basis of observing one's own activity. If self-esteem is reduced, it is a fundamental problem in neuroses and behavioral disorders; the goal of correction in this case is to influence a person enough to come to terms with himself, to adjust his behavior and change his perception of himself so that he is able to adequately evaluate and accept (Kohoutek, 2000).

Kohoutek (2000) in his publication in relation to self-evaluation talks about three types of people:

  • people with low self-esteem
  • people with increased self-esteem
  • people with normal self-esteem

Low self-esteem Low self-esteem is associated with a lack of self-confidence and a feeling of inferiority. Unfortunately, today we often meet people who do not have a positive opinion of themselves. The problems brought about by today's way of life significantly affect people's self-evaluation and their lives. 'Low self-esteem contributes to the emergence of problems, then problems only further worsen self-esteem.' (Miljković and Rijavec, 1996). The further you go, the more grumpy people are, complaining about everything. Many of them do not see a way out of the crisis.

Parents and teachers are important factors in a child's development and education, as well as in the development of self-esteem. Basically, everything depends on them and without them the child could not develop normally. The child should have clear rules set, or even better, they should create them together. The child should know what the consequences are if the rules are not followed. However, not showing love should not be one of the penalties for not following the rules. We should teach the child to fight for his rights and to know how to act according to his needs, but also to respect the needs of others (Marx, 1989). This means that children need to learn to create quality relationships with other people, because this is where the greatest treasure of our life is hidden.

High self-esteem Miljković and Rijaveć (1996) in their publication Conversation with a mirror consider high self-esteem to be a very important aspect, on which our mental health and adaptability largely depend. People who have high self-esteem does not mean that they think of themselves as perfect, but on the contrary, they are aware of their shortcomings and strive to change them. Of course, they also have positive thinking about themselves.

Miljković and Rijaveć (1996) emphasize the importance of education in the development of positive self-evaluation. Children have high self-esteem when their parents do too, because parents serve as role models. Children whose parents: usually have high self-esteem.

  • they raise their children with love and respect
  • accepted them as they are
  • set reasonable rules and expectations
  • they are aware of their procedures
  • they do not mock children, do not humiliate them and do not physically punish them
  • they are not afraid to show how they believe in the child's abilities (Miljković, Rijaveć, 1996).

September 27, 2005 - an international self-assessment survey was conducted. This research ranked Serbia in first place as the country with the highest self-assessment score. Japan was placed last.

The research was conducted by David Schmitta, PhD, who is professor and chair of the psychology department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. The results were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research was carried out in 53 countries and the number of respondents exceeded 17,000. The Rosenberg Self-esteem scale was used as an attempt to measure self-esteem, which was translated into 28 languages.

Table 1. Self-assessment scores by country (Schmitt, 2005).

Rosenberg Self-esteem scale - Rosenberg Self-esteem scale The Rosenberg Self-Evaluation Scale is the most widely used method for measuring global self-evaluation. It contains 10 declarative sentences to which the person expresses his/her agreement or disagreement on a 4-point (or 5-point) Likert scale. The maximum number of points that can be obtained is 40 (the highest self-evaluation), the minimum is 10 (the lowest self-evaluation). According to Rosenberg, a person with high self-esteem has high respect for himself, appreciates his strengths, but also recognizes his faults (Halama, Biščad, 2006).

According to the latest research (Tomšik, 2014), which was carried out only in some European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Norway, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain), the average self-assessment of adolescents in Slovakia was 23.68, (in the Czech Republic 23.87), but on a 5-point Likert scale. After almost a decade, the total self-esteem score has decreased in almost all the countries studied. Unlike the Czech Republic, Slovakia is now higher on the list, but it is still among the last.

A positive perception of oneself is a very important part of the human personality. What image we have of ourselves is largely dependent on the environment in which we grow up. School, as an institution where children spend a lot of time, should be an environment where students not only get an education, but also a positive self-image. In this way, the school will educate not only educated and smart people, but also people who are happy and satisfied with themselves. The question remains, why do Slovaks as a nation have low self-esteem? Is it the "fault" of the parents or teachers? Who doesn't fulfill their role as they should? Or is it just the personality traits of the nation?

Author: Bc. Robert Tomšik University of Constantine the Philosopher, Faculty of Education List of bibliographic references

HALAMA, Peter., BIEŠČAD, Matúš. 2006. Psychometric analysis of the Rosenberg self-report scale using classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) methods. In Czechoslovak psychology. ISSN 0009-062X, 2006, 50, 4, p. 569-583. KOHOUTEK, Rudolf. 2000. Basics of personality psychology. Brno: CERM, 2000. ISBN 80-7204-156-8. MARX, Karl - ENGELS, Friedrich. 1989. Rani Rado. Zagreb: Naprijed, 1989. 246 p. MILJKOVIĆ, Dubravka. - RIJAVEC, Majda. 1996. Razgovori sa spreholom - psihologija samopouzedanja. Zagreb: IEP, 1996, 250 p. ISBN 978-953-7057-21-3. SCHMITT, David. 2005, Simultaneous Administration of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in 53 Nations: Exploring the Universal and Culture-Specific Features of Global Self-Esteem. In Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ISSN 0022-3514, 2005, 89, 623-642.