The antecedents of self-esteem.

Psychology

First published: 1967
Print length: 283 pagesW. H. Freeman, 1967

Description

Stanley Coopersmith’s The Antecedents of Self-Esteem examines how children develop a sense of personal worth. Drawing on empirical research, Coopersmith considers differences in children’s self-evaluations and relates them to experiences at home and in their wider social lives. The book pays particular attention to patterns of parental attention, expectations, limits, and opportunities for independence, asking how these conditions contribute to confidence and feelings of significance. A classic work in the study of self-esteem, it is primarily a research-based account of development rather than a motivational guide for building confidence.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Academic · Dense · Technical

Pace

Slow

Tone

Cerebral · Detached · Earnest

Structure

Argumentative

Focus

Argument · Ideas · Information

Emotional intensity

2 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 4 / 5
Ideas: 4 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 3 / 5

Themes

BelongingComing of ageFamilyIdentityParenthood

About Stanley Coopersmith

Stanley Coopersmith was a developmental psychologist, personality researcher, clinician, and writer whose work kept psychological theory close to family, school, and therapeutic settings. His central subject was the formation of self-evaluation and its influence on conduct. The Antecedents of Self-Esteem develops its argument through empirical distinctions among children’s self-assessments, then relates them to parental attention, acceptance, expectations, limits, and permitted independence. The prose is dense and academic, organized around evidence rather than exhortation. His standardized self-report inventory extended this method into applied assessment, separating perceptions of home, school, peers, and the self. In the coauthored The Myth of the Generation Gap, he broadened his inquiry from individual development to intergenerational conflict through a survey of representative attitudes.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: W. H. Freeman
Language: English
ISBN: 9780716709121

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