Using The Mirror Story to Understand Self

ABSTRACT

Research indicates self-esteem reflects many factors in a person’s life, such as relationships with parents or parent figures, attachment types, experiences of worth enhancement, ethnicity, generation, and cultural values. However, debate continues on whether self-esteem is simply a reflection of Western culture and may not be a universal factor of human nature. This research was undertaken to understand how four persons of diverse ethnic, gender, and age categories may each perceive the self from reading the same story. First, the authors offer a brief overview of how self-esteem is viewed and explore a few cultural, gender and age aspects of self-esteem. They then present our pilot study with the methodology, results, and discussion, and offer implications for mental health counselors.

KEYWORDS:

• Creativity in counseling
• culture
• mirroring
• self
• self-esteem

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jane A. Warren

Jane A. Warren is a faculty member of the Masters Counseling Program at the College of Social Sciences, Saybrook University, Oakland, California.

Natasha P. Trujillo

Natasha P. Trujillo is a PhD student at the Educational Studies Department at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Amanuel H. Asfaw

Amanuel H. Asfaw is an Assistant Professor in Counseling at the Department of Psychological Science & Counseling, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee.

Courtney McKim

Courtney McKim is a faculty member of the Educational Research Department with the Professional Studies Program at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

Lindsay Stoffers

Lindsay Stoffers is a counselor at the Albany County School District, Laramie, Wyoming.

Kristina Faimon

Kristina Faimon is currently a PhD graduate student in the Counselor Education Department Program with the Professional Studies Program at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.