Self-confidence results in feeling good about yourself and believing that you’re loved and valued by others. Parents, teachers and other adults in a teen’s life can affect the teen’s level of self-esteem. If a teen has unrealistic expectations for herself and constantly puts pressure on herself to be perfect, she might develop low self-esteem when she does not meet those expectations.
Basics
A teen’s level of self confidence can affect his performance at school, ability to make friends and capacity to take risks. Teens with a high self-esteem often have an easier time dealing with failure, treat others with respect and feel confident when trying new things, reports Family Education.
Considerations
The Mayo Clinic reports that bullying can lead teens to develop depression, anxiety and a low self-esteem. Teens who are bullied at school will have a harder time succeeding in school, may skip school and might have thoughts of suicide. It’s important that parents and teachers talk to adolescents about bullying and how to handle it, especially since cyberbullying has increased.
Misconceptions
Many parents and teachers believe that constant praise will help their children develop a healthy self-esteem. However, excessive, undeserving praise can increase a teen’s level of entitlement and materialism, reports Family Education. When parents praise their teens just to have something to say, they are giving the message that the teen deserves praise when she hasn’t earned it. Authentic praise does help to increase a teen’s self-confidence, but undeserving praise can lead adolescents to focus on results instead of life experiences.
Increase Self-Confidence
Teens Health reports that self confidence isn’t a fixed state, so teens can take steps to improve their self-esteem. You can change your self-confidence by turning your negative thoughts into positive ones. For instance, when you come upon a new situation, look at it as a challenge instead of thinking that it’s impossible. Set specific and measurable goals that you can realistically achieve. Don’t set a goal of making the varsity soccer team if you’ve never even attempted to play soccer. Instead, set a goal of playing soccer with your friends twice a week for a month to see if you even enjoy it.
Warning
Teens who have low self-confidence often participate in reckless activities, reports DoSomething.org. Adolescent girls who suffer from low self-esteem are more likely to hurt themselves, develop eating disorders, bully others and use alcohol and drugs than adolescent girls with high self-esteem. If a parent notices that her teen suffers from low self-esteem, she can take him to see a counselor who specializes in working with adolescents to prevent serious issues from arising.
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