ERIC Number: EJ812830
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Aug
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-205X
EISSN: N/A
Children's Self-Esteem and Moral Self: Links to Parent-Child Conversations Regarding Emotion
Reese, Elaine; Bird, Amy; Tripp, Gail
Social Development, v16 n3 p460-478 Aug 2007
The current study has two aims: (1) to examine associations between the emotional content of parent-child past event conversations and two aspects of children's self-concept--moral self and self-esteem; and (2) to examine the degree to which talk about past events is uniquely associated with self-concept when compared with talk about ongoing events and situations. Fifty-one five- and six-year-old New Zealand children and their parents discussed four emotional past events and two ongoing conflicts. Children's moral self, self-esteem and language ability were also assessed. When parents referred to a greater number of positive emotions and evaluations, regardless of conversation type, their children had higher self-esteem. Past event talk also uniquely predicted children's self-esteem: Parents who used more explanations during conversations regarding past negative emotions, and more explanations and confirmations of past positive emotions, had children with higher self-esteem. We discuss these results with respect to an autobiographical memory approach to self-concept development.
Descriptors: Affective Behavior, Foreign Countries, Emotional Development, Parent Child Relationship, Self Esteem, Self Concept, Moral Values, Conflict, Language Skills, Emotional Response, Interpersonal Communication, Predictor Variables, Child Development, Social Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A