ABSTRACT
For children who think they are worthless, life can all too easily lose its magic, its fascination and excitement. Feeling worthless can also blight a child's moment-to-moment perception, just as real rubbish can pollute the physical environment and spoil the view as far as the eye can see. If a child doubts his own worth, then any praise or encouragement may seem false, plain inaccurate, or even ridiculous. Some clever children with low self-worth are proud of what they achieve, and yet their achievements are never sufficient to change their image of themselves. Research has shown that feelings of low self-worth in childhood can affect performance in adulthood, far more than academic ability. Some children attack other children verbally or physically as a way of dealing with what they themselves have suffered. It makes them feel big to make someone else feel small. Children with low self-worth can all too easily move into self-harm.
