ABSTRACT
THIS chapter presents a study of the effects of race-related interpersonal communication from parents and peers and television experiences on preadolescent black children’s esteem. The past developmental research in esteem, while focusing on independent influences such as schools, parents, and peers, has not adhered to a multi-influence model of the esteem process (Liebert & Poulos, 1976), nor has it focused on the effects of communication, especially the identification of specific types of communication and their effects on beliefs and attitudes (Maccoby, 1964: Atkin, Greenberg, & McDermott, 1983).
