The fateful year 1969, celebrated equally for the Apollo moon landing and Woodstock, also saw the publication of Nathan Brandan’s The Psychology of Self-Esteem. This was the book that inspired what some predicted would be a revolution in parenting and pedagogy. Now, finally, the self-esteem movement may be running out of … well, self-esteem. One reason is because it never worked. We probably always knew, deep down, that juvenile achievement wasn’t going to be as easy as laying in a supply of You’re Awesome! stickers, even if they’re the glittery kind. But it’s one thing to argue from common sense, and quite another to get science on your side. Science is now speaking up, with a voice that could spell the end (eventually) for the insidious practice of showering schoolchildren with empty praise.
In a well-known 2006 study conducted by the Brookings Institute, students reported feeling very good about their academic performance, even while scoring lower than kids in other countries who did not report the same level of self-confidence. The shocking truth: When we tell kids they are “smart,” their natural response is to protect that reputation. Therefore, they take fewer chances and back away from challenges, meaning their brains don’t engage and school becomes an utter bore.
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