Self-Esteem and Delinquency

Race and Self-Esteem

Self-esteem involves individuals' perception of their own worth, and higher self-esteem is viewed not only as desirable for individuals, but also as beneficial for society. Extreme levels of self-esteem, whether extraordinarily high or unsettlingly low, are often connected to various kinds of pathologies, including depression, low school achievement, early pregnancy, suicide risk, drug and alcohol abuse, and personality disorders. Measures of self-esteem traditionally have been based on experiences of Caucasian (typically, middle-class) populations. In the 1950s, researchers began to examine self-concepts that include race identity.

Self-esteem, as connected to racial identity, incorporates concepts of group self-esteem and personal self-esteem. Group self-esteem represents how an individual feels about their membership in a particular racial/ethnic group. Personal self-esteem alludes to how individuals feel about the self specifically. Historically, studies showed that members of minority groups express lower levels of self-esteem. This research was based on the assumption that Blacks were irreparably damaged [Page 728]because of their legacy of slavery and racism. The Supreme Court cited Clark's “doll test” in Brown by emphasizing the connection between racial segregation and feelings of self-worth, claiming that segregating schoolchildren generates a feeling of inferiority that is difficult, if not impossible, for many to overcome. This landmark case indelibly marked the American landscape. However, few scholars would argue that race has ceased to be an issue today.

After the civil rights movement was under way and Blacks pushed back against overt discrimination, empirical findings on self-esteem were mixed. Some found that Blacks' self-worth was still depressed because of their consistently diminished status compared to Whites. Others claimed that some Blacks, especially youth, were socialized into a subculture of resistance and that a new focus on Black pride resulted in enhanced self-evaluations. Still others subscribed to a theory of alienation in which Blacks constantly find themselves on the margins of a society that undervalues Black life. (The scant research on self-esteem issues for other minority groups—most notably, Hispanics and Asians—is contradictory and fails to provide consistent conclusions.)

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