In a paper on “Self-esteem of Early Adolescents: A National Survey of 8th Graders,” presented 24 August 2001 at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, Yong Dai, Rebecca F. Nolan, and Qing Zeng claim that of the variables studied, “religious involvement appears to have the largest impact on how early adolescents evaluate themselves.” Experts in religion and youth evaluate the research and its implications. EMBARGOED UNTIL 24 AUGUST 2001 AT 16:00 ET US.
This release contains quotes from carefully selected, well-informed religious leaders. All quotes are free to use by journalists in any news medium. Contact information is provided and follow-up interviews are encouraged.
1. Statement by Kenda Creasy Dean, M.Div., Ph.D., Director of the Tennent School of Christian Education and Assistant Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. Phone: 609-921-8300
“What astounded me about this paper was the last sentence. After revealing a clear, direct, and unwavering positive correlation between adolescent religious involvement and positive self-esteem—finding, in fact, that “religious involvement appears to have the largest impact on how early adolescents evaluate themselves”—the authors seem strangely reluctant to claim the implications of their own findings. You would think this would lead them to the obvious practical conclusion that we should put more effort into increasing religious involvement among young people. But this possibility is completely overlooked. Instead, the authors urge us to put more energy into teaching young people to have positive self-images and to emphasize family ties between adolescents and their parents (yes, but family relationships did not figure into this study).
“In some ways, Dai, Nolan and Zeng’s study of self-esteem and young adolescents seems naïve, especially as they explain stunning differences in self-esteem revealed by race and gender. African American girls in the study, for instance, had higher self-esteem than Caucasian girls, and African American boys had lower self-esteem than their Caucasian counterparts. The authors surmise that these discrepancies “may reflect cultural differences in how parents teach their sons and daughters about self-esteem,” but they fail to acknowledge the middle class economy’s eviscerating treatment of black males, or global consumerism’s flagrant objectification of white females, both of which, we may reasonably assume, are detrimental to a positive self-image.
“The authors also assume that young adolescent religious involvement is due to family religious involvement, since young teens tend to participate in the same social institutions as their parents. It should also be noted that Gallup surveys indicate that about half of American adolescents say they went to church last Sunday (consistent with the present study’s number of youth who are “very involved” in religious activities), compared to only two in five adults. While this does not rule out the importance of family religiosity in young adolescents’ church attendance, it does suggest caution in making causal inferences too quickly.
“Christians in particular should welcome Dai, Nolan and Zeng’s conclusions, but not at the expense of identifying the church’s theological mandate with the self-esteem movement. Christianity’s positive message about the self is not a self-esteem message. Christianity teaches, ‘You’re a sinner, and God loves you anyway, and wants to restore you just because God thinks you’re too precious to lose.’ The good news of Christianity is not about the self, but about God. A number of studies have demonstrated that supporting adolescents without simultaneously acknowledging truthful limits does nothing to improve their self-esteem; it took teenagers about two seconds to see through the self-esteem movement’s empty praise, despite truckloads of child-rearing literature advocating just that. Telling a kid who has just struck out ‘Hey, good job!’ convinces her of just one thing: grown-ups lie.
“Causality is a recurring question in this study; the link between high religious involvement and positive self-evaluation, according to Dai, Nolan and Zeng, ‘seems to indicate that most churches teach people to have positive images of themselves.’ Of course, it could be that only people with positive self-images get involved in churches—but my experience suggests that Dai, Nolan and Zeng have this one right. Still, like many social scientists, they seem wholly uncomfortable with the implication, supported by their own research, that religion serves as a transforming agent, and they grope for alternative explanations.
“Underlying these explanations (which might not seem so strange if they bore some relationship to the study) is an assumption: faith cannot transform, but self-esteem and family involvement can. Families get kids to church, they suggest, which exposes youth to positive self messages. True, at least some of the time. Yet families that get kids to church also must confront the unsettling realization that religious conversion makes youth less adapted to the positive self images of culture—simply because what counts as a “positive” self looks very different in light of the cross, the central symbol of Christian faith. While we generally view a “positive” self as strong, resilient, autonomous and assertive, a “positive” self in light of the cross is a surrendered self, an icon of self-giving love. Christianity teaches that to lose one’s self is to gain it, that human weakness is God’s strength, that identity resides in the self’s relationship to God, not in individual autonomy. And all of this runs counter to “self esteem” as we usually define it.
“So, rather than settling a score on young adolescents and self-esteem (which had been their hope), Dai, Nolan and Zeng find themselves at the heart of the question of faith—not at all where they intended to be, I’m sure. High levels of religiosity have long been touted as an “innoculation” against at-risk behavior. By linking religiosity and high self esteem, the current study raises the question: is religion the innoculation, or is the positive self-image that accompanies religion the real mitigating factor? This is an open question that requires more research, and the religious community should not fear its outcome. At the same time, social science should not fear the possibilities raised by religion, either. If religious involvement has the largest impact on how early adolescents evaluate themselves, then this study should encourage us to unapologetically connect young people with religious communities that help them feel good about themselves, not because of who they are, but because of who God is in them.”
Kenda Creasy Dean, M.Div., Ph.D. is the Director of the Tennent School of Christian Education and Assistant Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Her books on youth ministry include The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul-Tending for Youth Ministry (with Ron Foster), Starting Right: Thinking Theologically about Youth Ministry (with Chap Clark and Dave Rahn), and Practicing Passion: The Adolescent Quest for a Passionate Church (currently under contract with Eerdmans). A graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary and an ordained United Methodist minister, Kenda works with the Princeton Theological Seminary Institute for Youth Ministry, where she directs the Princeton Project on Globalization, Youth and the Church and oversees the Bridges Project for seminary graduates starting pastoral ministry with young people.
2. Statement by Karen E. Jones, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Educational Ministries Department at Huntington College, Huntington, Indiana, and Associate Director of the Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry. Phone: 219-356-6000.
“Untangling the mysterious fibers that create the intangible web of self-esteem promises to free society from the devastating results of adolescent turmoil. If we can discover the key contributors to a youth’s sense of hopelessness or lack of purpose, then perhaps we can begin to therapeutically alter the environment in such a way as to eradicate these perceptions, resulting in a happier and healthier youth- and society. According to this study, religion holds the promise of being the magic elixir.
“These findings are not unique; in fact, when various measures of religiosity have been included in studies of adolescents and/or self-esteem, the results have been quite similar. Participation in, and/or commitment to, religious traditions is almost always a positive correlate of self-esteem. This is not to say, however, that mere attendance at religious services or membership in a youth group will eradicate negative thoughts or beliefs, which often lead to dangerous behaviors.
“I would caution the public to refrain from thinking of religion as a preventative measure for youth. People might think, ‘If I make sure that my children are in church, then they will feel good about themselves and they won’t engage in risky behaviors.’ This is simply not the case. While other national studies have shown that religion does negatively impact risk-taking, such behaviors are still evident among church-going youth. For example; many of the students in Rockdale County, Georgia, involved in the high-profile sexual nightmare several years ago, were involved with churches, as was the young man in Jonesboro, Arkansas, who shot his classmates.
“The research is encouraging, though not surprising to those in the faith community who have devoted their lives to ministry with students. I do not, however, believe the researchers have adequately interpreted the results in order to arrive at the most accurate conclusions. They have suggested that educators place more emphasis on teaching students to have a positive self-image, since they believe that this must be what is taking place in churches, though the specific religious activities of these students have not been identified. I find this a curious conclusion. For several decades already, the American educational system has emphasized the importance of self-esteem. What evidence exists to indicate that further indoctrination of students to have positive feelings about themselves will yield results? The religious and the non-religious have attended schools side-by-side.
“The mysterious power of religion cannot be quantified or replicated. In matters of religion we speak of a “community of faith.” There is a sense of family, of belonging, of interdependence, in which each member is an integral part of the whole. For many, this may be the one place where they know they will always be welcomed, never rejected. Life has meaning and purpose for those who belong, because they owe their existence to a Creator.
“Millions of young people are involved in acts of service through their churches or religious communities, which research has shown to contribute to a sense of significance and enhanced self-esteem. While they may engage in volunteer work through school or community organizations, the motivation and focus of religious acts of service are distinct, contributing to their benefits.”
Dr. Karen E. Jones is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Educational Ministries Department at Huntington College, Huntington, Indiana. She also serves as Associate Director of the Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry. Link recently completed a major national research project, a "Study of Protestant Youth Ministers in America," funded by the Lilly Endowment. The findings are included in a newly released book , Youth Ministry That Transforms (Strommen, Jones, and Rahn). Jones received her PhD in Youth Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Her research on the impact of short-term service projects on the faith maturity and self-esteem of adolescents was the recipient of the 1999 Excellence in Research Award, given by the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship. Jones has over 20 years experience as a youth minister, teacher, writer, speaker, and researcher in the field of youth ministry.
3. Statement of Fred D. Smith, Jr., Associate Professor of Christian Education and Youth Ministry, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Phone: 412 362-5610 x2162.
“First I don’t see what conclusions can be drawn from this study. Race, gender and religious involvement tell me little about why these students have high self-esteem. The authors make assumptions that are not indicated by the study. They assume that ‘most churches teach people to have positive images of themselves and thus positive teaching may be able to influence early adolescents’ self-evaluations in a positive way. These are assumptions not based on empirical evidence. Many churches teach that we are born sinners worthy of God wrath. Some teach that pride comes before a fall. Others teach that we should not think too highly of ourselves.
“Educators and researchers on the subject would agree that teaching has little to do with a young person self-esteem. During adolescence, self-esteem is strongly linked to the perceptions one has about our physical bodies, and perception of acceptance by our peer group.
“The authors assume that these young people are involved with their parents at church. My experience is that for this generation of young people parents leave it up to the young person concerning their involvement in the church. I pastor a church in which 90% of the young people come to the church without their parents.
“High self-esteem is highly overrated according to several recent studies. There are good reasons that many faith communities teach people not to think to highly of themselves. According to several recent studies, people with high self-esteem do not take criticism or negative feedback very well. They are more sensitive to criticism than people with low self-esteem.
“It is much more important that we promote resiliency in young people rather than high self-esteem. High levels of resiliency gives young people the ability to bounce back after life has as dealt them a bad deal. Resiliency is about providing young people with coping skills and protective factors that keep them out of trouble in the first place.”
The Reverend Dr. Fred D. Smith Jr. is Associate Professor of Christian Education and Youth Ministry and Director of the Lilly Endowment funded Summer Youth Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is also the pastor of Fellowship United Methodist Church in Ambridge PA. He is formerly Associated Director of the Interfaith Health Program where he served for seven years at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, GA. He has directed a number national initiatives including: Pan Methodist Coalition on Alcohol and Drug Abuse; The Carnegie Foundation’s Not Even One-Kids and Guns Initiative; National Volunteer Training Centers National Interfaith Alliance Against Substance Abuse; The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Stop the Killing Campaign and The Carter Center’s Whole Communities Collaborative national program.