Scientific American: Exploding the Self-Esteem Myth. Four academic psychologists review the data in the latest Scientific American, and conclude: "Boosting people's sense of self-worth has become a national preoccupation. Yet surprisingly, research shows that such efforts are of little value in fostering academic progress or preventing undesirable behavior." Perhaps unsurprisingly, groups that promote boosting self-esteem haven't shown much interest in this research. Extra points to the authors for correctly using the word "floccinaucinihilipilification."
posted by enrevanche on Jan 8, 2005 - 43 comments