CHAPTER II Review of Related Literature

College is the time when most students are developing their sense of identity, and

for many, it is the first time away from home, and some students are the first member of

the family to ever attend college. Students are finding things out about themselves and

figuring out what college life is all about. Prioritizing and responsibility are brought to a

new level as students are in charge of their new world. It can be very overwhelming. In

addition to all of this, students are trying to make friends and be "Accepted" by peers.

This is the time when self-esteem is very much needed. Self-esteem is important to

everyone and all need positive self-esteem to feel good about ourselves. Positive (High)

self-esteem is feeling good about who we are; liking ourselves regardless of successes

or failures. Positive self esteem means that we don't judge ourselves based on what

others think or say, or how much we can accomplish. (Linda Et Al 1984)

Many psychological movements make their own description about self concept.

However, the most detailed definition was made by Carl Rogers, who developed person-

centered approach. According to Rogers, the sense of self of an individual includes the

individual’s thought about oneself, perceptions and opinions. Sense of self summarizes

how the individual sees oneself. Rogers believes that to develop positive sense of self,

the individual must grow up in an environment of unconditional love. When there is an

inconsistency between exhibited behaviour and sense of self of the individual, anxiety

comes out. Rogers says that if the individual deceives oneself, anxiety level will increase

and the sense of self will not be preserved in time. He accentuated on three important

points of parent-child relationship for adeveloping self esteem. The first is to reflect

acceptance, concern, compassion and warmth towards the child. The second is

allowance and punishment. The third critical point is the democratic attitudes of parents.

The child raised with these three criteria will have higher self esteem (Hall & Linzey, 1957;

Morgan, 1990).

Burke, Hunt & Bickford (1985) found that college students with high self-esteem

expect good results on academic examinations. They also tend to attribute satisfactory

results to stable features within themselves. When students with low-self-esteem score
low on examinations they tend to regard the score as a 1-3 on their ability rather than for

some other less personal reason (Nolan, 1996).

This study shows that a first time offender who feels worthless is twice as likely to

become a repeat offender as a first time offender who does not feel worthless. A person

who feels worthless is suffering from a low or negative self-esteem. From this study, one

can see the impact of a negative self-esteem on our society.

When researching self-esteem, students generalized judgments of their own

worth. "An individual with high self-esteem is typically characterized as having feelings of

worth, being able to do things as well as others, having a number of good qualities, having

much to be proud of, having a positive attitude toward oneself, feeling useful to others,

feeling self-confident, and being satisfied with oneself. (Pascarella, 1991)

Low self esteem is when we feel badly about ourself, and who we are. Having low

self-esteem can have intense emotional effects on an individual. It can make us feel like

we have little confidence or control over our life. Many times, others can sense someone

with low self-esteem and take advantage of him or her by coercing them into doing things

they wouldn't normally do. Low self-esteem can affect our relationships with significant

others. If we do not like ourself, it is difficult to truly like others and share ourself with

another person. The negativity that low self-esteem brings can damage a relationship

because it is also very difficult to accept love and affection from other people if we do not

love ourself first. Our work and school success can also be affected. With low self-esteem,

we may lack the motivation and confidence to succeed in school and at work. If we are

not feeling good about ourself, we may hold ourself back from finishing projects and even

self sabotage so that we purposely do not succeed. Some students who feel this way

cover it up by drinking and using drugs and being the life of the party. Others are angry

and isolated and can take their mood out on others around them. The real truth is that

these individuals are most likely very sad inside and need support and encouragement to

change these destructive ways. (Donovan Et Al (1984)).

Moreover, self-esteem is imperative to study because it shows what people hold

in high regard and how they feel about themselves. Academic achievement is essential

to study because people spend a long period of time to their life in school, a number which
seems to be rising because of the emphasis now placed on the importance of higher

education, especially in Southwestern University PHINMA. Education determines

success and wealth for a great deal of people. Since it is also important for the freshmen

students to belong and to fit in, encouragement is a fundamental building block necessary

to improve self-esteem. It also remains unquestionably important to be able to identify

and assess which mistaken goal a student desires as well as what area in their life may

be at risk for discouragement in order to avoid harming their self-esteem, possibly

contributing to the detriment of their academic ambitions/achievements.

Keeping track of the major changes in every student’s behavior and/or lack or

slowing of developmental progress also plays an ample role in educating and socializing

students in preparation for them in Self-esteem and Achievement for their future

education, careers and lives. Together, self esteem and academic achievement are

useful predictors of a person’s future. Whether self-esteem effects academic achievement

or academic achievement affects selfesteem, the relationship is still worthy of measuring

and understanding. The results are especially useful to those people working in an

academic or educational environment, as well as to the students they serve. More

research is necessary to create a more vivid picture of this relationship and what can be

gathered from identifying and articulating the strength and direction of it.

Another study done by Bray, which examined the influence of academic

achievement on a freshmen college student's self-esteem. The purpose of the study was

to ascertain whether academic achievement had more of an impact on a college student's

self-esteem depending on whether the student was a general student or an Honors

student. The researcher used the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. The results of this

study were that academic achievement and self-esteem have a positive relationship,

which agrees with previous research. This means that as academic achievement

increases, self-esteem will also increase.

Self-esteem and academic achievement are two topics of great importance

because of their constant presence in everyday life, especially for people like schools

counselors who work in school environments. The relationships people have, the attitudes

people portray, and the experiences people share are all effected by these two variables.
Students’ cognitive and behavioral engagements in the school influence school

outcomes, such as grades, skills, adjustment, attitudes and beliefs about themselves are

all powerful determinants of school success (Guay, et al., 1999).

Many students begin college unprepared for the colleges of balancing their

responsibilities and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the face of stressors (Negga Et Al.,

2007). Self-esteem is the perception of one’s feeling, thoughts about themselves like how

it looks, feels, and moves. It is somewhat based on their daily experiences. Self-esteem

can build inner strength and confidence. The following are a list of things we can do

everyday to improve our self-esteem; (1) Accept Yourself, (2) Take Control, (3) Think

Positive, (4) Be Good To Yourself, (5) Get Involved, (6) Become Self-Reliant, (7) Set

Goals. If these things are followed a person will be always confident enough to face the

world. He/She can now build a healthy physical self -- self-esteem and self-worth.

In this way, self-esteem reflects the intrinsic belief in the self, the overall opinion

and value of a person. Processing a healthy capacity for good self-esteem involves self-

respect, self-acceptance and an appreciation of self-worth that embraces both strengths

and limitations. A person with ‘Good enough’ self-esteem is able to feel good, even in the

face of adversity. When life events seem difficult, they still value themselves as good

enough. In contrast, someone with low self-esteem in a similar situation may feel

overwhelmed with negativity. THE STATE OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-WORTH OF

THE FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY