All people have a mental picture of themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. This mental picture is called self-concept or self-image. It is formed through learned experiences beginning at birth. Self-esteem is the value judgement or degree of worth a person attributes to his or her self-image. Considered an important component of emotional health, self-esteem encompasses both self-confidence and self-acceptance.

The idea that self-esteem and self-image are related to how people behave in society, perform in school, react to peer pressure, and interact with others has received a great deal of attention from psychologists and child development experts beginning in the 1980s. There is even a National Association of Self-Esteem (NASE) dedicated to research and teaching on self-esteem issues.

Since the early 1980s, efforts have been made to incorporate activities to raise self-esteem in school curricula and into programs dealing with young people who have problems with gangs, substance...