What is it about?
Teens' self-esteem usually declines during adolescence. Our study shows that teens who briefly affirmed their identities or values through a short writing exercise a few times a year did not decline in self-esteem. However, teens who did not engage in affirmations declined in self-esteem, as expected.
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Why is it important?
In a time when the mental health and well-being of teens are at an all-time low, finding ways to promote a more positive self-esteem is critical for improving the lives of teens. Our findings suggest that simple exercises of teens' writing about and affirming their identities and values can help boost a more positive sense of self over a year.
Perspectives
I hope this article can help people realize that seemingly "small" actions can actually have relatively big impacts on their lives, especially when they do them consistently. I am excited by these results. I have been engaging in more affirmations myself, I think a lot of us could benefit from a little self-esteem boost every once in a while!
Adam Hoffman
Cornell University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The promise of an identity-based self-affirmation intervention in protecting against self-esteem declines at the high school transition., Developmental Psychology, July 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dev0001789.
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