There is no controversy about the fact that high self-esteem is essential for a gifted child. Gifted children are often faced with unique challenges and opportunities that other children are not exposed to. They often have to work harder than their peers in order to achieve a higher degree of success. This can lead to feelings of insecurity and a lack of confidence. In order to overcome these challenges, a gifted child needs to have a strong sense of confidence. They need to believe in their own abilities and be proud of who they are.
It is important for a gifted child to have positive self-esteem. They need to believe that they are capable of anything. They need to have confidence in their abilities and be proud of what they have accomplished. A gifted child should never feel like they are not good enough. They should always strive to be their best.
When a gifted child does not have high self-esteem, they may start to feel like they are not able to accomplish anything. Negative self-esteem makes children become counterfeits of themselves.
In this article, we will look at what self-esteem is, types of self-esteem, components of self-esteem, factors affecting self-esteem, and finally the need for high self-esteem in a gifted child.
The need for high self-esteem in a gifted child
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem can be defined as the total conception a child has of himself. Self-esteem is a self-evaluation a child holds about himself or his family.
We have healthy and unhealthy self-esteem. Both categories of self-esteem can be favorable or unfavorable to a child.
Healthy self-esteem is when a child holds himself with a high level of competence, while unhealthy self-esteem is when a child sees himself as worthless or has the spirit of “I can’t do it.”
Types of self-esteem
1. LOW SELF-ESTEEM:
A child can be said to have low self-esteem when he doesn’t have confidence in himself,
when he has little trust in himself and in what he can do. When he believes everybody out there is better than him
And also a child is said to need high self-esteem when he refuses to stretch his initiative
Some gifted children need positive self-esteem when they lost confidence in their abilities
Becomes afraid of his opponent or competitors
He assumes himself to be below the required average
EFFECTS OF LOW SELF ESTEEM ON A GIFTED CHILD
Relationships: One of the effects of low self-esteem on a child is found in his relationships with his peers. A child who has low self-esteem finds it difficult to make friends. He feels everyone is superior to him, especially when he is of low financial status.
Addiction: Addiction is another effect of low self-esteem on gifted child
What is addiction? Addiction is simply a persistent urge or desire to keep repeating a habit. Addiction can be either good or bad. A child who is addicted to reading all the time just to avoid pulling chairs with friends is a good addiction, but a child who is addicted to drugs or smoking is a bad addiction.
Depression and anxiety: Depression is another effect of low self-esteem in a child. What is depression? Depression is a mental feeling of anxiety. It can cause dullness and a loss of interest in a child. When a child evaluates himself externally and believes everyone out there is better than him, it can result in depression.
2. HIGH SELF-ESTEEM:
This is another type of self-esteem where children believe in their family values and principles. High self-esteem develops in children who evaluate themselves internally. children who believe in their capabilities and abilities. They are happy with who they are and they have confidence when trying out new innovations.
Every gifted child needs to have high self-esteem because children with high self-esteem have confidence in themselves. High-esteem children are more open-minded and dynamic with happenings around them.
High self-esteemed children expose themselves to new innovations and challenges and they are not afraid of failure because they are risk-takers
children with high self-esteem ordinarily confront challenges seeking to come out with a solution, Fear is not in their character
3. INFLATED SELF-ESTEEM:
Children with inflated self-esteem tend to look down on other children and even adults around them. They feel very pompous even when they don’t have anything good to offer. They can step on toes in order to achieve their desire and was why they are prone to relationship problems
EFFECT OF INFLATED SELF-ESTEEM:
Children with inflated self-esteem don’t sustain good relationships
Because of their pomposity, they hardly listen to advice
Children with inflated self-esteem always want to be in charge even when they don’t merit it
They don’t place value on anyone nor do they respect people’s opinion
The inflated self-esteem children camouflage a lot in order to hide their incompetence
The 4 Components Of Self Esteem
Identity
Identity is one of the components of self-esteem. Every child carries the identity of his family positive or negative. Identity is the evaluation you have about yourself and the information others have about you. A child who comes from a family where the father beats his mother often grows to have low self-esteem. A child whose father shies away from his fatherly responsibilities can never be courageous enough. How a father is and how he trains the children goes a long way in affecting the child’s self-esteem. When the question of “Who am I?” arises, a child with positive self-esteem will confidently speak about himself, his family, his characteristics, abilities, feelings, and relationships.
Self-confidence
Self-confidence in a child develops when the child feels loved, cherished, and admonished. A feeling of security is another component of self-esteem. A child who is not proud of the identity he carries cannot have confidence in himself. Building a child’s self-confidence starts at home. When a child loses self-confidence, it will develop into low self-esteem. A child who has a healthy sense of self-esteem can be positive about life. He can confidently try out new things while pursuing his life goals. He confidently generates new ideas on how best to develop his innate abilities.
Feeling of belonging,
Every child belongs to at least one or two groups in his journey through life. for example. a child is born into a family and starts school when he is of school age. Family and school are examples of groups. Other group examples are friends, church departments, sports teams, several training groups, and others. The feeling of belonging is a component of self-esteem. A child’s self-esteem can be defined by the relationships he keeps. also by the groups, he belongs to, and by the experiences, he often has in these communities. How does he feel about belonging to this group? Does he communicate well? expresses himself well? Does he look out for his group members? How does he feel when he is in solidarity with them? Belonging to a group helps a child build high self-esteem.
And the feeling of competence.
Lastly, the feeling of competence exposes a child to having different experiences, succeeding, failing, and learning new things. The feeling of competence pushes a child into accepting new challenges. It requires creative and critical thinking to remain competent. High self-esteem mostly comes with pride. Success results in a feeling of power and competence.
Factors that influence a child’s self-esteem
Genetics, the family backgrounds, and traits of Parental self-esteem
A child’s personality, who is he? who is his father? who is his backbone? which school does he attend? and so on
The child’s life experiences
What a child thinks about an issue
age factor
health status
comparing self to others, Consistent praise on good accomplishments Parental support on a child’s skill Giving a child domestic and academic responsibility
Providing a child with opportunities for growth and development in social circumstances
and the reactions of others in diverse groups.
What is the need for high self-esteem in a gifted child?
Self-awareness
First, a high level of self-awareness is important for anyone, but it is especially important for gifted children. High self-esteem helps children become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses as they keep learning and growing. Self-awareness and self-identity formation help a child realize his potential. It helps them to know that they are valuable and capable individuals, i.e., self-acceptance.
Self-confidence
A high level of self-confidence is also necessary for gifted Children. self-confidence makes children pursue the achievement of anything they set their goals at. High self-esteem is needed because it also helps children develop self-assurance and a high sense of security. It helps them to confidently generate new ideas and discover new ways of tackling an aggressive challenge.
Exposed to opportunities
Children with high self-esteem are exposed to greater opportunities to interact with their peers and other community groups. Their personalities, values, and experiences are affected by how positively they interact with people around them.
Not afraid of failure
Normally gifted children suffer from fear of failure. When the child is nurtured to have high self-esteem, it makes the child achieve different accomplishments. He performed successfully both at home, school and among other peer groups. It encourages risk-taking in them. it makes them believe everything is achievable. High self-esteem helps a child develop the spirit of “I can do it.”
Fearless
Children with high self-esteem are fearless and ready to confront challenges. But children with low self-esteem have feeling of isolation and despondency. High self-esteem enables children to be fearless notwithstanding their imperfections. it helps them to explore their positive attributes of themselves with confidence. The adequate backup and support received from their parents make them more confident and fearless in confronting any given task.
Good relationship
Friendship is an integral key to building high self-esteem in a gifted child although many gifted children don’t find friends among their age mates. Most of them prefer associating with people older than them. High self-esteem will help a child maintain a good relationships with people both at home, school, and in social groups.
Competence and achievements
Lastly, the need for high self-esteem in a gifted child cannot be over-emphasized. High self-esteem helps children develop self-competence and the desire for great achievements. It encourages the spirit of persistence in children whose emphasis is always on performance. High self-esteem develops children’s competence in making choices, taking chances, and accepting responsibilities.
Conclusion
Children with high self-esteem tend to be more active, more productive, and more interactive than children with low self-esteem. Children with high self-esteem are most often extroverts, risk takers, and have high self-confidence, while those with low self-esteem are most likely to be shy, introverted, inferiority complex, and are socially limited.
The need for high self-esteem in a gifted child cannot be underestimated
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