Self-Esteem and the Level of Pupils’ Educational and Professional Aspirations

The paper addresses the educational and professional aspirations and self-esteem of adolescents, taking into account the analysis of conducted research. The considerations refer to aspirations and self-esteem in the context of human functioning in a dysfunctional family. The study was conducted among a group of 126 elementary school pupils. The research problem was contained in the question: Is there, and if so, what is, a relationship between the educational aspirations (dependent variable) of pupils graduating from elementary school and their self-esteem (independent variable)? A diagnostic survey method using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the author’s aspirations questionnaire were used. The research confirmed that there is a relationship between high educational and professional aspirations and high self-esteem results, and between low aspirations and low self-esteem. Referring to Mellody’s concept, attention was paid to the children’s natural trait – worthiness, which in a dysfunctional family improperly shapes children’s self-esteem, affecting their quality of life and aspirations in the future.