There are many aspects of life that reflect upon how we feel
about ourselves, namely relationships at home, our physical appearance or our
social acceptance amongst peers yet it is often difficult to really understand
how we improve what can be described as our ‘self-esteem’.
James (1890) described self-esteem with reference to a
similar term named self-concept. James suggested self-esteem was made up of
what a person wishes to achieve, and what they actually achieve. The latter is
what is termed self concept, what a person perceives as their actual self.
The way, in which an individual values himself or herself,
can be known as self-esteem.
The world we live in has encountered many social changes
through time, which in turn can affect our self-esteem. Marsh (1999) highlights
the fact that youth and adults interact less frequently, single-parent
households have increased and budgetary conditions have meant schools cannot
meet both educational and developmental needs of students.
The outdoors therefore, specifically wilderness adventure therapy
programs, aims to provide opportunities where participants can learn to adapt
to new environments and gain a sense of personal satisfaction through control
of their experiences. These programmes as stated by Bandenoch (1984) are shown
to enhance self-esteem, challenge, risk taking, reflection and social
experiences through the use of adventure activities.
An example can be seen through ropes courses, which provide
appropriate risk taking behaviours for students with lower self-esteem, who are
likely to succeed and see personal achievement. The group context creates
opportunities for social interactions, and transfer of skills to daily life
(Moote 1997).
Hopkins and Putnam (1993) support this finding stating that
the overall goal of adventure-based activities appears to be enhancement of
self-esteem. In a study, 16 of 19 programs reported positive results with
increased self-esteem (Sale 1992).
Bandoroff (1989) was first to use wilderness adventure
therapy. Crisp and Hinch (2004) more recently did a study on 39 adolescents who
didn’t respond to traditional therapy. 36 of these participants were ‘at risk’;
the outcomes were significant in reductions of mental health symptoms and
similarly increased protective factors such as self-esteem, social-competence
and family functioning. Kumpfer (1999) supports this finding suggesting family
are responsible for providing emotional support, learning opportunities and
building self-esteem. Consequently the effects of the adventure activities and
wilderness program provide improvements in self-esteem that relate to daily
life. The experience was reported to push participants above their comfort
zones, create emotional experiences they may not have previously shared with
peers and develop personal responsibility through planning 3 day expeditions.
It is clear research on adventure activities promoting
factors for increasing self-esteem is evident. Through personal efforts and a
desire to improve self-esteem, challenging activities and self-directed tasks
can motivate participants. Optimising this is achieved through participants
seeing the success in themselves (Roberts and Suren 2010). As outdoor
facilitators, by setting realistic goals and challenges with appropriate follow
up reviews of successful and positive impacts, we can optimise the enhancement
of self-esteem.
Further reading:
Faust, V., 1980. Self-esteem
in the classroom. San diego CA: Thomas paine press.
Roberts, N.S., and Suren, A.T., 2010. Through the eyes of
youth: A qualitative evaluation of outdoor leadership programs. Journal of park and recreation
administration, 28(4), pp.59-80.
Swanbrick, N., Estwood, G. and Tutton, K.,
2004. Self-esteem and successful interaction as part of the forest school
project. Support for learning, 19(3),
pp 142-146.
References:
Bandenoch, 1984, In. Harper, N.J. A mixed methods examination of family involvement in adolescent
wilderness therapy. Minesota University.
Bandoroff, 1989. In. Harper, N.J. A mixed methods examination of family involvement in adolescent
wilderness therapy. Minesota University.
Crisp, S.J.R. and Hinch, C., 2004. Treatment effectiveness of wilderness adventure therapy: a
comprehensive evaluation. Melbourne: Neo psychology publications.
Hopkins, D. and Putnam, R., 1993. Personal growth through adventure. GB: David Fulton publishers.
Kumpfer,
K. L. (1999a). Factors and processes contributing to resilience: the resilience
framework. In: Glantz M.D., Johnson, J. L., eds. Resilience and Development:
Positive Life Adaptions, New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp.
179–224.
Marsh, P.E., 1999. Does camp enhance self-esteem: good news
for the future of camping. Camping
Magazine, 72(6).
Moote, J.R., Woodarki, G.T., and John. S., 1997. The
acquisition of life skills through adventure activities and programs. Adolescence, 32(125), pp.143.
Roberts, N.S., and Suren, A.T., 2010. Through the eyes of
youth: A qualitative evaluation of outdoor leadership programs. Journal of park and recreation
administration, 28(4), pp.59-80.
Sale, P.L., 1992. Ego and self-concept development among
juvenile delinquent participants in adventure-based programs. Dissertation abstracts international, 53.
Another very good BLOG, you have shown some understanding of how SE can be best enhanced in the Outdoor Sector. You might expand this more to question some of the previous research eg Hattie et al.
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