Self-Esteem in Early Childhood: The Importance of Appearance

Abstract

Early childhood is a significant period for the development of self-esteem, that might have a substantial impact on life outcomes. Caregivers’ perceptions can play a critical role in helping children develop a positive self-esteem. Therefore, this research focused on the perceptions of kindergarteners regarding factors that are associated with children’s low and high self-esteem. The research included three phases. Overall, 474 kindergarteners of children aged 4 - 6 years participated in this mixed-methods study. A content analysis of the first phase yielded four categories including a total of twenty-two background traits that were described as characterizing children with low or high self-esteem: appearance (skin or hair color, height, weight, beauty/ugliness, well-groomed appearance), disability (learning disability, ADHD, physical disability/illness, communication disorders), family (structure, SES, involved parents, anxious parents, only child, born after fertility treatments, position in the family, number of children, born premature), and a special situation in kindergarten (entered the kindergarten in the middle of the year, the youngest, has relatives in the same kindergarten, stayed for a second year). The following phases of the study revealed that the structure of the family, disability, and well-groomed appearance had the greatest impact on kindergarteners’ evaluation of children’s self-esteem.