Can a Simple Practice Like Daily Positive Affirmations Truly Transform the Self- Esteem of Teenagers Navigating the Complexities of Adolescence?


Authors : Janani S.M.; Bismirty Bhuyan

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 1 - January


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/25xran8d

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/4ecexpu6

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14744561


Abstract : The present study assessed the impact of positive affirmations on self-esteem for both male and female adolescents. Positive affirmations are believed by many to affect people's psychological moods, while their potential benefits as a means for enhancing self-esteem during adolescence will be explored here. A sample of 100 participants was selected who were divided according to gender as 50 men and 50 women, the mean age for all participants is 15.5 years old. The study employed a pre-post design, where self-esteem levels were measured before and after a 4-week intervention consisting of daily positive affirmations. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a reliable and validated instrument. Self-esteem scores were higher at the end of the program for both men and women. The starting self-esteem score for the men averaged 45.2, and at the end it was 58.6, which is a difference of +13.4. Women's self-esteem improved from 44.7 to 57.9, with a difference of +13.2. An ANOVA was done that resulted in a p-value of less than 0.01, resulting in statistical significance of the self-esteem improvements. It describes how self-affirmation practices increase the self-esteem of adolescents in a positive light. It recommends that daily positive affirmations be an effective, simple intervention in enhancing self-worth, and this can benefit the vulnerable teen years. Such interventions could also be studied with regard to the long-term outcomes and how it differs among diverse demographic groups. These findings add to the literature that increasingly describes the role of self-affirmations in adolescent mental health and well-being.

Keywords : Positive Affirmations, Self-Esteem, Adolescence, Teen Mental Health, Psychological Interventions, Self-Worth Development, Emotional Resilience.

References :

  1. G. L. Cohen and D. K. Sherman, "The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention," Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 333–371, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137
  2. C. R. Critcher and D. Dunning, "Self-affirmations provide a broader perspective on self-threat," Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 3–18, 2015. [Online]. Available: https:/ /doi.org/10.1177/0146167214554956
  3. E. B. Falk, M. B. O'Donnell, C. N. Cascio, F. J. Tinney, and Y. Kang, "Self-affirmation alters the brain's response to health messages and subsequent behavior change," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 112, no. 7, pp. 1977–1982, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10. 1073/pnas.1500247112
  4. N. C. Hall, J. G. Chipperfield, R. P. Perry, R. A. Clifton, and T. L. Haynes, "Enhancing high school students' self-esteem using positive affirmations: A practical application," Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 108, no. 3, pp. 509–523, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000 095
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  6. M. Rosenberg, Society and the adolescent self-image, Princeton University Press, 1965. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400876136
  7. C. M. Steele, "The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self," in L. Berkowitz, Ed., Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 21, Academic Press, 1988, pp. 261–302. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60229-4
  8. D. S. Yeager and C. S. Dweck, "Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed," Educational Psychologist, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 302–314, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10. 1080/00461520.2012.722805

The present study assessed the impact of positive affirmations on self-esteem for both male and female adolescents. Positive affirmations are believed by many to affect people's psychological moods, while their potential benefits as a means for enhancing self-esteem during adolescence will be explored here. A sample of 100 participants was selected who were divided according to gender as 50 men and 50 women, the mean age for all participants is 15.5 years old. The study employed a pre-post design, where self-esteem levels were measured before and after a 4-week intervention consisting of daily positive affirmations. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a reliable and validated instrument. Self-esteem scores were higher at the end of the program for both men and women. The starting self-esteem score for the men averaged 45.2, and at the end it was 58.6, which is a difference of +13.4. Women's self-esteem improved from 44.7 to 57.9, with a difference of +13.2. An ANOVA was done that resulted in a p-value of less than 0.01, resulting in statistical significance of the self-esteem improvements. It describes how self-affirmation practices increase the self-esteem of adolescents in a positive light. It recommends that daily positive affirmations be an effective, simple intervention in enhancing self-worth, and this can benefit the vulnerable teen years. Such interventions could also be studied with regard to the long-term outcomes and how it differs among diverse demographic groups. These findings add to the literature that increasingly describes the role of self-affirmations in adolescent mental health and well-being.

Keywords : Positive Affirmations, Self-Esteem, Adolescence, Teen Mental Health, Psychological Interventions, Self-Worth Development, Emotional Resilience.

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