In the recent past there has been a growing interest in the investigation of the self. A primary area of investigation has revolved around the question of the stability of the self-concept. This study investigated parental nurturance as a stable predictor of self-esteem across adolescent and young adult age groups. Subjects (N=784) were students from seven distinct age groups: seventh graders; eighth graders; high school sophomores; high school seniors; undergraduate freshmen; and undergraduate upperclassmen. Results revealed that even though parental nurturance was more strongly related to self-esteem during junior high school years than during the high school and college years, parental nurturance still remained a robust predictor of self-esteem during these latter years. Strong nurturant relationships with one's mother and one's father provide stable bases for global self-esteem throughout the early adolescent to early adulthood years. This is a time during which many individuals experience considerable change and discontinuity in their lives and are therefore in need of a relational context in which they can find stability, reassurance, and the support of caring relationships. When such a context is available, then the individual is better able to cope with the stress of change and more able to tolerate areas of discontinuity within his or her life. (CM)