Early Adolescent Self-Esteem as a Function of Social Class: Rosenberg and Pearlin Revisited

Self-esteem is postulated to be a function of social class in accordance with four theoretical principles-reflected appraisals, self-perception, social comparison, and psychological centrality. It is argued that the ascribed nature of social class among young adolescents makes it a weak determinat of their self-esteem, but that with increasing age socioeconomic position becomes more meaningful and thus more consequential for self-esteem.Data are presented which reveal a stronger association between social class and self-esteem among eighth graders than among fifth graders. One salient characteristic, academic skills, is found to be a strong predictor of early adolescent self-attitudes. Last, levels of self-esteem increase consistently from the fifth to the eighth grade, indicating a developmental trend toward greater self-acceptance.