ABSTRACT
R esearchers and clinicians from many disciplines focus on self-esteem as an area of importance. Self-esteem affects motivation, functional behavior, and life satisfaction, and is significantly related to well-being throughout life. It is possible that behaviors meant to maintain and enhance a positive sense of self are universal, that self-esteem is a basic human need (Greenberg, 2008). What individuals choose to do and the way they do it in part may be dependent upon their self-esteem. Low self-esteem has been shown to be related to many negative phenomena, including higher rates of teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, and violence, depression, social anxiety, and suicide. Such factors as gender, race, economic level, sexual orientation, immigrant status, and more seem to influence its levels (Twenge & Campbell, 2002; Twenge & Crocker, 2002). In fact, the need for positive self-esteem may be a significant feature of mainly European/American cultures (Heine, Lehman, Markus, & Kitayama, 1999).
