Should Teachers Enhance their Pupils’ Self‐esteem?

Abstract

It is often supposed that teachers should help their pupils to acquire self‐esteem. It is also regarded as desirable that pupils should be educated in such a way as to form reasonably accurate estimates of their own qualities and capabilities. These two enterprises are not necessarily consistent, given that estimates of oneself are typically comparative as well as highly corrigible. It is suggested that a secure basis for self‐esteem is more likely to be found if one distinguishes between a comparative and a non‐comparative concept of self‐esteem, only the former type of self‐esteem allowing for disconfirmation.