The 7 most common causes of low self-esteem in adolescence

Self-esteem is intimately related to people's mental health and both its excess and its deficit can cause serious alterations at an emotional and behavioral level.

As it is such an important issue for the correct development of the individual, this is one of the fundamental intervention areas in psychotherapy. But to avoid major complications, it is important to detect self-esteem problems in younger people early and understand what kinds of situations can trigger them. Therefore, in this article we explain The main causes behind low self-esteem in adolescence.

• Related article: "The 3 Stages of Adolescence"

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is one of the most studied phenomena in the world of psychology and also one of those that has greater incidence in the personality of any individual, whatever their age, social status or level purchasing. And since it is something that can affect anyone, self-esteem issues are generally quite widespread within our society.

In essence, self-esteem can be defined as

the assessment that the individual makes of oneself, taking into account their beliefs about the "I". That is, it does not include only information that can be expressed in words; It also encompasses a series of emotions and feelings. Thus, self-esteem has a lot to do with the way in which the person perceives himself with respect to his ideal "I", that is, how he would like to be.

It can be affirmed that self-esteem is made up of 4 main elements: the perceptive processes (all that information we receive from the environment and from our body and actions, which conditions the opinion we have about us); the self-concept (that is, all those ideas, opinions or thoughts that we generate about ourselves from what we perceive), the emotional load (how all this affects us emotionally) and the referents that one has around him (famous, influencers, leading professionals in our sector...) and in one's own imagination (our deceased grandfather, personalities religious...).

• You may be interested: "Low selfsteem? When you become your own worst enemy

What are the main causes of low self-esteem in adolescence?

Below we review the causes of the most common self-esteem problems among the adolescent population (although all of them are related to each other to a greater or lesser extent).

1. Insecurities with your own body

Adolescence is one of the stages of human development in which the greatest insecurities are observed. in young boys and girls who begin to form the personality that they will have at the age adult.

The greatest insecurities during adolescence have to do with one's own body and the gradual (or even relatively sudden) changes that are observed in it. In this stage of transformation, most people are dissatisfied with the change presented by their bodies either expect these changes to happen more quickly or in a more harmonious and provided.

In addition to that, there can also be great insecurities in the cases of boys and girls who have "non-normative" bodies within their peer group, especially considering that they are beginning to be compared with canons of beauty linked to the figure of young adults considered attractive, older than they.

• Related article: "Physical complexes: what they are, causes, and how to manage them"

2. Social pressure

The social pressure to which many adolescents are subjected is also usually one of the main causes of low self-esteem and problems of all kinds for many people.

At that age, adolescent role models stop being parents and become their peers., that is, young people their own age or a little older who can be friends or classmates and who need their recognition and acceptance to feel part of a reference group.

• You may be interested: "Asch's Conformity Experiment: When Social Pressure Gets Us Down"

3. Difficulties in the school environment

Possible difficulties in studies and school performance almost always have as a consequence a drastic drop in the self-esteem of an adolescent, since the educational center it becomes one of the main sources of self-affirmation, socialization and personality formation.

In addition to that, the lack of skills in sports activities, especially in the case of boys during recess, can also have a decisive impact on the level of self-esteem.

4. Toxic couple relationships

At this age it is also when the first couple relationships begin to develop, and a toxic relationship It can significantly affect both the self-esteem of the person who suffers from it and many other elements of their personality and mental health..

In addition to that, when a relationship is toxic in later stages of adolescence, they can also develop dynamics of emotional dependence, something that can affect the person for life if psychological support is not available professional.

• You may be interested: "The 6 main types of toxic relationships"

5. Constant comparisons and hyper-competitiveness

In adolescence they also usually occur dynamics of comparison and competition between classmates or friends to see who has the best clothes, the best mobile or other items that work as class indicators.

Some young boys and girls may feel ashamed of having a low economic status, and this contributes decisively to lowering their levels of self-esteem.

6. Family problems

The family environment is another of the fields on which an adolescent bases himself to build his future personality.. This includes both the type of relationship with parents or siblings, as well as the parenting style he is subjected to, and the amount of affection and understanding he receives at home.

A dysfunctional family model, or negative parenting patterns for the child, are also causes that can ostensibly reduce the adolescent's self-esteem. In addition, in many cases the young person may feel ashamed of the things that her relatives know. from him or her, and since he or she cannot become independent, he or she cannot find an immediate way to stop feeling judged.

7. Mistreatment or abuse cases

In the family or school environment there can also be cases of mistreatment or physical abuse, or sexual character, which will represent a serious affectation for the mental health of the adolescent who suffers. Unfortunately, bullying is very common., and although it has been relatively normalized for a long time, we now know that its psychological effects on self-esteem can be devastating.

It is, therefore, another of the causes that can very negatively affect the victim's self-esteem and pose a real health problem at all levels.

How to detect and prevent self-esteem problems in adolescents?

Some red flags that are worth seeking professional help They are the following (it is not necessary that they occur all at once):

• Avoid at all costs talking about what you have done at school, beyond explaining above the subjects given in class.
• Cries relatively frequently without wanting to or being able to explain why.
• He does not have the initiative to meet friends or friends.
• He always resists the proposal to go to extracurricular activities (whatever they are).
• Always let others make all the decisions.
• He does not intend to learn anything on his own, even if he shows some interest in something.
• Manifests self-injurious behaviors, or even suicidal ideations. These cases, although they seem extreme, are unfortunately all too common.

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