On Self-esteem and Aggression - Thesis Proposal Example

?Running Head: Proposal on Self-esteem and Aggression Proposal on Self-esteem and Aggression [Institute’s Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Research Statement 4 Significance of Problem 5 Aims and Objectives 6 Research Questions Identified 6 Research Aims and Objectives 7 Literature Review 7 Research Methodology 10 Research Design 10 Data Collection Techniques 11 Data Analysis 11 Critical Evaluation 11 References 13 Introduction Self-esteem is one of the substantial aspects that have come under numerous debates, discussions and arguments, as it is a very vast subject matter and different people possess different opinions about this element. While looking at the perspective of self-esteem, it can come to statement that self-esteem is typically the sum of a person’s conscious self-evaluative feelings and thoughts. In other words, self-esteem is about a person value himself or feels about them (Powell, 2005). The aspect of self-esteem can bring both positive and negative effects. If a person feels good about them, he or she tends to have high self-esteem and leads towards positive phase of self-esteem. The actions, feelings, thoughts and behaviors all are the outcome of positive self-esteem. This means that self-esteem profoundly controls and manipulates how a person acts, reacts, and feels (Powell, 2005). It has also come under notice that person who feels good about them and has a high self-esteem tends to have a more social gathering and enjoys life in a much better way. As a result, the individual would be more confident, happy, highly motivated, and would have the right attitude to succeed in every facet of life. In contrast, according to some schools of thoughts, people with low self-esteem are the result of the poor self-image, which is based on how one sees or values him or her. The person with low self-esteem has a higher propensity to believe the criticism made by others, because low self-esteem nourishes the negative thinking inside the person. Consequently, the person looses the confidence, which only give rise to the negative thoughts, feelings and emotions (Mruk, 2006). Scholars and experts also articulate that self-esteem leaves an indelible imprint on to the happiness of the person. This is because self-esteem in the right direction leads a person to have a right attitude not only towards his work but also towards the entire society and neighborhood where the person resides. However, to put it succinctly, self-esteem is fundamental to everything a person performs and achieves. It not only affects the behavior and thoughts, but also changes how one feel and value them, and thus creating a huge impact on to the confidence of the person. Therefore, self-esteem is vital and critical, and is a cornerstone of a positive attitude towards living (Mruk, 2006).  Research Statement The actions, thoughts, behaviors, and feelings that a person portrays or shows and relates to other people provide an idea about his or her self-esteem towards them and others. Various and scores of studies and researches have come under application with respect to the person’s self-esteem with aggressive feelings and thoughts. This is because, it is important to be acquainted with such a grave issue that can lead a person to a constructive life and future or make a person fall in the dark (Mruk, 2006). Different schools of thoughts perceive the fact that individuals who achieve scores on low on self-esteem upon experiments have an inclination that they would score higher in aggressive thoughts and feelings. Therefore, with respect to the perspectives of different people on aggressive thoughts and feelings that occur with people having lower self-esteem, it has become increasingly important to test the standpoint that can determine the actual cause and motive behind such feelings and thoughts that become a part of the person’s personality (Baumeister & Bushman, 2009). The following proposal has come under design with the primary aim to compose a deep analysis that whether the individuals with low self-esteem tends to show higher aggressive thoughts and feelings in comparison to the people with high self-esteem. However, to put it in nutshell, the research will come under investigation that would highlight the below mentioned hypothesis statement in order to achieve aims and objectives of the research: “Individuals with low self-esteem will show higher levels of aggressive thoughts and feelings. Individuals who score low on self-esteem would score higher in aggressive thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the lower the self-esteem the more aggressive tendencies individuals will show”. Significance of Problem While taking the point of significance under consideration, the relevancy and applicability of the research is one of the most important queries that need to come under discussion so that most accurate, precise, and truthful answers can come under findings. However, manifold rationales justify the undertaking of the research in such a widespread manner. The feeling and thought of anger is present in all human beings and may arise from time to time. Nevertheless, this is quite a normal adaptive feeling or emotion that is not a problem in itself. However, the feeling of anger or aggressive thoughts becomes problematic when it excessively and easily triggers or gets too prolonged (Schiraldi, 2007). Aggressive feelings and thoughts occur with a person’s poor confidence in him or her. This leads to a depressing, unenthusiastic and negative thoughts and feelings which means that the individual has a higher tendency to give up easily, rather stand strong like a stone to face the challenges. Aggressive feelings and thoughts are the aspects of the person’s personality that leads to just negative aspects in him and take out all the positive elements from the individual (Schiraldi, 2007). A person may have high or low self-esteem as a part of his character and traits. However, in both the cases, the feelings and thoughts that develops showing more aggression becomes unconstructive for the individual and from this point, the person’s life comes under colossal impact (Schiraldi, 2007). Aims and Objectives While looking at the perspective of aggressive thoughts and feelings in conjunction with person’s self-esteem, the self-esteem plays a substantial role in leaving both positive and negative impact, which would come under analysis from comprehensive research studies. However, the primary and principal aims and objectives have come under explanation in the below section that scales from such a grave issue. These aims and objectives are the foundation stones for the researcher that would facilitate them in their wide-ranging survey analysis that can lead them to the actual cause and reasons behind it. Research Questions Identified The questionnaire that would come under application as a primary mean of data collection must contain critical questions themes that must come under focus. These theses pertaining to the subject matter that would provide evidence to be integral part of the research study that can classify the elements leading to the aggressive feelings and thoughts: The first section of the questionnaire must include few questions where the respondents must be provided with statements where they have to rate the degree to which the statements were like them or not. The second section of the questionnaire would comprise of the questions related to the characteristics of the individuals. In this section again, the target audience would rate the degree to which the mentioned characteristics were like them or not. The third section must include a set of questions related to the reasons of self-esteem and aggressive thoughts and feelings Research Aims and Objectives In order to understand the core reasons and motives that lead a person to develop the feeling and thoughts of aggression in correlation to self-esteem, the aims and objectives are indispensable that will enable an imperative, apparent, and widespread understanding of the subject matter. However, the principal aims and objectives of this research comprise: To discover all the aspects, causes and motives that lead to low self-esteem To identify the rationale that develops the aggressive thoughts and feelings within the personality of the individual To identify the aspect that individuals with low self-esteem show higher levels of aggressive thoughts and feelings or not To determine that the individuals who score low on self-esteem would score higher in aggressive thoughts and feelings Literature Review Self-esteem is all about the feelings and thoughts a person possess for himself or herself. For instance, I am competent, I am kind, and several others of this sort explain the self-esteem of a person. Besides, plentiful sources of information reveal the fact that self-esteem has a high relation to several elements that include creativity, flexibility, sincerity, honesty, acceptance, independence, cooperativeness, willingness to confess mistakes, and several others (McKay & Matthew, 2009). Studies also show evidence of the piece of information that how a person functions and controls his life that incorporate the dealings with family members, friends, community and strangers, also determines the level of self-esteem in them. In addition, the self-esteem also has a relation and connection to how an individual determine their goals and how they struggle for achieving it, their satisfaction and happiness in life (McKay & Matthew, 2009). Empirical studies also conclude that high self-esteemed people have shown to be more ambitious in every aspect of their lives in comparison to the individuals with low self-esteem. Furthermore, these people also have an attitude of openness and express with honesty concerning their needs, wants, and desires. Additionally, high self-esteemed people also recognize the value of relationships and treat other people with respect, non-judgmental attitude, and fairness (Leary & Tangney, 2005). Past research and studies also indicate that aggressive feelings and thoughts comes under close and intense linkage with low-esteem. According to evaluations drawn from a study, it came under notice that aggressive feelings and thoughts that leads to behaviors such as anger, physical or verbal aggression, and hostility strongly showed a significant correlation with self-esteem, predominantly low self-esteem (Schmidt, 1993). While looking at the contemporary debates and arguments under discussion by the researchers, it has come to an understanding that on one side the researchers have fought over the issue that people with low self-esteem are prone to aggressive feelings and thoughts that lead to delinquency and antisocial behavior. However, several others have opposed this claim, claiming that several studies have been unsuccessful in uncovering the association between low self-esteem and measures of aggression or aggressive thoughts and emotions. These theorists and researchers hypothesize the fact that feelings of inferiority rooted in early childhood experiences of rejection and humiliation are the primary and leading cause of aggression and antisocial (Schmidt, 1993). Few of the research studies also disclose the verity apart from self-esteem; other factors also contribute to the feelings and thoughts of aggressions in people. The theoretically relevant variables that might account for the effects of aggressive feelings and thoughts take account of intellect or intelligence, academic achievements, socioeconomic status, and the quality of parent-child relationships (Schmidt, 1993). A contrary viewpoint from recent research findings with respect to the conncection between low self-esteem and aggressive feelings has come under observation that violent behaviors and feelings are prone to result from the extraordinary positive viewpoints of self that comes under threatening or criticism by others. According to the assessment of such studies, the development of aggressive feelings is the result of the rejection of self-esteem that received threatening evaluation from other people. Although, this does not prove and witness to have a direct correlation of aggression to high self-esteem in most cases, indeed, people with high self-esteem have provided evidence to be remarkably non aggressive, but it demonstrate that people with aggressive feelings have a tendency to possess high self-esteem (Leary & Tangney, 2005). Despite all the theoretical arguments, research that linked the feeling of aggression with low self-esteem has failed to produce consistency in the results and outcomes. Therefore, an extensive research must come under study to determine the actual cause of the feeling of aggression and its linkage with self-esteem (Leary & Tangney, 2005). Research Methodology The research methodology is one of the systematic approaches that a researcher experiments and undergoes. In fact, the research methodology’s key emphasis is on the completion of the survey analysis by collecting comprehensive raw data so that valuable information can come under presentation after having complete analysis according to the aims and objectives of the study (Cooper, Hedges & Valentine, 2009). Research Design The research design has come under consideration as the blueprint that a researcher view to oversee the problems that cause and demand the relevancy of the data and queries to come under resolve, data collection and analysis of the gathered information (Cooper, Hedges & Valentine, 2009). With respect to the matter of concern of this study, the most appropriate and suitable approach for this kind of study would be quantitative research methodology. This is because; the quantitative research methodology would facilitate the researcher in acquiring valuable, wide, exposed and open data from the target audience. As an outcome of such valuable and numerical or calculable data, meaningful and worthwhile information would come under resolution (Cooper, Hedges & Valentine, 2009). While looking at the perspective of target audience with respect to the study, adults, particularly college going students would come under preference as the primary target audience, best fit for conducting the research study. Moreover, the sample size of the population would not be more than hundred college students (Cooper, Hedges & Valentine, 2009). Data Collection Techniques The primary research engages the collection of the data regarding the impact of lower self-esteem on aggression tendencies directly from the target audiences or the population. The types of primary data collection method would encompass the questionnaires. Questionnaires would come under design concerning the notions of self-esteem and aggression. The participants would come under questioning about their personality, emotions, and self-esteem. Therefore, a comprehensive and detailed questionnaire that would include the questions pertaining to a self-esteem and aggression would come under administering to the participants (Kothari, 2008). Data Analysis The component of data analysis and interpretation is one of the most critical factor and part of the study. The researcher would collect the data from the questionnaires for evaluation and construe of the data. Based on the data presented on the questionnaire, the results would come under preparation that would compare to find out whether individuals who score lower on self-esteem scored higher on aggressive tendencies or not. The statistical analysis of the data collected can come under representation by illustrating in a graphical form for evaluation (Kothari, 2008). Critical Evaluation The critical evaluation of the research study comes under consideration to be one of the fundamental and significant sections of the thesis report. While looking at the above perspectives, it is still not obvious and apparent that low self-esteem is the primary cause that develops the felling of aggression within an individual or not. However, according to the results concluded in one of the studies, it shed the lights to the fact that the ego present in the high self-esteem people easily comes under effect in the form of insulting, and thus the tendency of feeling and thoughts of aggression increases. Therefore, the study presents the results that high levels of aggression have come under finding among the people who have motivation and emotion in their self-esteem (Slife, 2007). From the above literature review, it has also come under strong reflection that people possessing low self-esteem makes them intolerable to the external criticism and their ego gets badly hurt. This leads them to develop the feelings and thoughts of aggression to a greater proportion. In fact, self-esteem not also illustrates to predict the quality or duration of relationships, or good performances in academic lives as it has even shown detrimental results with respect to self-esteem. However, job performance and occupational success has a strong relation to self-esteem (Slife, 2007). The empirical research that would undergo with the help of the questionnaire that has come under practice as a quantitative approach would lead to the accurate opinions, viewpoints, and facts about what the target audience perceives and thinks about the aggressive tendencies an individual would show. References Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2009). Social Psychology and Human Nature. Cengage Learning. Cooper, H.M. & Hedges, L.V. & Valentine, J.C. (2009). The handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis. Russell Sage Foundation. Kothari, C. R. (2008). Research methodology: methods and techniques. New Age International. Leary, M. R., & Tangney, J. P. (2005). Handbook of self and identity. Guilford Press. McKay, M & Matthew, M. (2009). Self-esteem: Easyread Comfort Edition. ReadHowYouWant.com. Mruk, C. J. (2006). Self-esteem research, theory, and practice: toward a positive psychology of self-esteem. Springer Publishing Company. Powell, J. (2005). Self-Esteem. Black Rabbit Books. Schiraldi, G. R. (2007). 10 Simple Solutions for Building Self-Esteem: How to End Self-Doubt, Gain Confidence & Create a Positive Self-Image. New Harbinger Publications. Schmidt, T. M. (1993). Anger management and violence prevention: a group activities manual for middle and high school students. Hazelden Publishing. Slife, B. (2007). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Psychological Issues. McGraw-Hill. Read More