ABSTRACT
Self-esteem is a topic that is widely spoken about by specialists and non-specialists alike. It crops up in general conversations among parents, teachers, co-workers, managers, and many more. Indeed, it is often regarded as a key part of one’s mental health and well-being. Moreover, there is a widespread assumption that physical activity is a positive inuence on self-esteem. For example, in her 2012 annual report, the Chief Medical Ocer (CMO) for England stated that ‘physical activity … can enable children and adolescents to … help to build positive personal attributes such as self-esteem and self-condence’ (https:// www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health). Yet if one thinks about this assumption more carefully, it is logical that not all physical activity experiences will enhance self-esteem. Some could undermine it! Indeed, the CMO’s statement is properly circumspect in saying that physical activity can enable self-esteem development. This suggests that certain circumstances may have to be present for this to happen. In short, the association between physical activity and self-esteem is likely to be a little more complex than one might rst think. Specically, in this chapter, we aim to:
● Dene self-esteem and related components, including physical self-worth. ● Outline how self-esteem might be an antecedent as well as an outcome of physical
activity. ● Comment on the dierent measures of self-esteem and related constructs, particularly
in the physical domain. ● Appraise the evidence linking self-esteem and physical self-worth to involvement in
physical activity for both young people and adults.
