Development of Self Esteem as a Function of Familial Reception

Abstract

Low self esteem and familial environment have been separately linked to substance use and abuse. It is argued here that these are causatively linked, that parental relationship with the child provides the experiences from which self esteem is learned. Cognitive errors are made in the process, and faulty experimentation results in these errors being confirmed, rather than refuted, by peers. The self esteem, or evaluation of the self, once learned, is very resistant to change. When low, it becomes a source of background pain in a person's life. Substance abuse is a frequently observed, maladaptive attempt to cope with this experience of pain.