Discuss changes in self-esteem in adolescence

What will be an ideal response?

Self-esteem, the evaluative side of self-concept, continues to differentiate in adolescence. Teenagers add several new dimensions of self-evaluation—close friendship, romantic appeal, and job competence—to those of middle childhood. Level of self-esteem also changes. Though some adolescents experience temporary or persisting declines after school transitions, self-esteem rises for most young people. Teenagers often assert that they have become more mature, capable, personable, and attractive. In longitudinal research on a nationally representative sample of U.S. youths, an increasing sense of mastery—feeling competent and in control of one's life—strongly predicted this age-related rise in self-esteem. In adolescence, authoritative parenting continues to predict high self-esteem, as does encouragement from teachers. In contrast, feedback that is negative, inconsistent, or not contingent on performance triggers, at best, uncertainty about the self's capacities and, at worst, a sense of being incompetent and unloved. Teenagers who experience such parenting tend to rely only on peers, not on adults, to affirm their self-esteem—a risk factor for adjustment difficulties.