Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sexualization of Kids Doesn't Yield Self-worth

After decades of sexual indoctrination by public schools and Planned Parenthood, a new study shows that it's not sex that America's youth crave, but rather affirmation of their value.

Recreational sex only diminishes self-worth (as adults know).

-- From "Young people crave self-esteem above sex: study" by Bernd Debusmann Jr, Reuters 1/11/11

Researchers from Ohio State University and Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York found that college students rated receiving compliments, or doing well on a test, above such pleasurable activities such as sex, receiving a paycheck, seeing a friend, or eating their favorite food.

Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University, said the findings should raise red flags about the role of self-esteem in society.

"It wouldn't be correct to say that the study participants were addicted to self-esteem," said Bushman, who headed the research team. "But they were closer to being addicted to self-esteem than they were to being addicted to any other activity we studied."

He said he and his team were shocked by the findings.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Young people prefer praise to sex or money, study finds" by Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY 1/10/11

Self-esteem is misunderstood, says Robert Reasoner of Port Ludlow, Wash., who has been involved with the self-esteem movement for 40 years.

He says self-esteem is a basic human need.

It's about confidence in your ability to deal with life's challenges and a sense of personal worth, rather than generalized praise and undeserved rewards, he says.

The study is published online in the Journal of Personality.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "College Students Value Self-Esteem Over Sex" by LiveScience 1/10/11

Americans have come to think of boosting self-esteem as a solution to many societal problems, such as teen pregnancy and drug abuse, according to Bushman.

"But I think that is backwards," he said. "Good performance has to come before, not after, self-esteem."

There are also behavioral implications.

"The problem isn't with having high self-esteem; it's how much people are driven to boost their self-esteem," said study researcher Jennifer Crocker, a psychology professor at The Ohio State University. "When people highly value self-esteem, they may avoid doing things such as acknowledging a wrong they did. Admitting you were wrong may be uncomfortable for self-esteem at the moment, but ultimately, it could lead to better learning, relationships, growth and even future self-esteem."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Choosing Self-Esteem Over Sex or Pizza" by Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times 1/11/11

. . . Carol Landau, a clinical professor of psychiatry and medicine at Alpert Medical School at Brown University, pointed out that sex and alcohol are readily available on many college campuses and within students’ reach. Their accessibility could explain why students are more motivated to get good grades and positive feedback, which may be harder to come by. “The other rewards are somewhat within their control,” Dr. Landau said. “The self-esteem factors are not.”

Some researchers fault the emphasis placed on building and promoting self-esteem in children among certain schools of parenting and education.

“The idea has been that if we build their self-esteem, then they’ll do better in school and in relationships,” said Dr. Twenge, the “Narcissism Epidemic” author. “Well, that puts the cart before the horse. When you break down the research you see that kids who behave well and get high grades develop high self-esteem — not the other way around.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.