Parental behaviors have a strong influence on children and adolescent self-esteem. For example, Nielsen et al (2002) reports parental affection and support to be positively related to the development of self-esteem in children.

Researchers found that good support from parents was an adequate predictor for mental health. Generally, vulnerability and low self-esteem was greatest in those children and adolescents whose parental support was low, this applied especially for males. On the other hand, a study investigating the relationship between family dimensions and self-esteem in early adolescents indicates that girls’ self-esteem in particular is strongly related to a parent behavior, that displays an intellectually cultural family orientation, whereas boys’ self-esteem was positively related to their parents’ moral global orientation.

Overall, children and adolescents from high conflict families reported lower Self-esteem, higher levels of anxiety and weaker inward control. This can be seen in support of a study that found that the greater the perceived happiness of parents, the higher their children’s self concept. In addition, parents who avoid the use of guilt, anxiety and the withdrawal of love in order to control children/ adolescent behavior are likely to strengthen the self-esteem of their children.

However, parenting styles utilizing moderate levels of discipline at the same time are believed to further enhance the construct, whereas excessive parental control has the opposite effect (Nielsen et al, 2002). Besides strong evidence of parental support as a factor in developing self-esteem in children and adolescents, there is also reason to believe teacher and peer support to be of similar importance.

For example, low teacher and classmate support have been linked to low self-esteem and consequently behavioral problems. There is a relationship between low self-esteem and peer rejection as well as low academic achievement in children and adolescents.

Further, as youth evaluate themselves across adolescents, contemporary social influences have a major influence on the formation of their Self-esteem. This is unsurprising if one is to consider the impacts of media and advertising on social trends and lifestyles.

For example, the ‘perfect body’ may be something to be idealized by many, however, achieved by only a few. Similarly, children and adolescents may idealize a particular brand of footwear or soft drink used by the ‘in’ group, thereby perceiving themselves as ‘outsiders’ or as ‘lesser’ individuals for as long as these ‘brand icons’ haven’t been achieved.

by Jorg Thonnissen (2010) Registered Psychologist

Poor self-esteem, when internalized, is often associated with a number of mental disorders and social problems, ranging from depression, suicidal ideations, eating disorders and anxiety, and if externalized, it may find expression as violent behavior or substance abuse.

Especially low global and academic self-esteem in children and young adolescents was found to be a predictor of such health compromising behaviors. For example, a study by Phyllis (2000) shows that poor grades and deviant behavior of children as early as in grade 7 are a possible indication of such behavior 5 years later.

There are a number of characteristics displayed by children and adolescents with low self-esteem. For example the frequent voicing of negative statements about the self as well as excessive criticism of others, overreaction to constructive criticism or other anxiety provoking situations may all indicate low self-esteem.

A relationship between Self-esteem and accomplishment has been identified in the classic ‘Principles of Psychology’ by William James in 1890. Ever since, many researchers have sought to define the construct. However, researchers are still rather undecided in their understanding of how many dimensions are considered reasonable, to ‘truly’ capture the construct of self-esteem in its entirety.

Some belief that especially early adolescent self-esteem is multidimensional in structure, as it is influenced by individual and contextual factors linked to adjustment outcomes that can both hinder or promote overall development of an individual’s self-esteem.

Brown, Dutton and Cook (2001), on the other hand, found the construct of self-esteem to have three meanings; global or trait self-esteem, self evaluation, and feelings of self worth. The concept of global self-esteem is commonly used to refer to the way people characteristically feel about themselves, whereas the same term has also been used to refer to the way abilities and attributes are evaluated, thus the name ‘self evaluation’. Conversely, feelings of self worth are used to identify rather momentary emotional states arising from positive or negative situational outcomes.

Across the literature, gender has been cited as a significant indicator of the individual’s perceived self-esteem. The construct has been found to have gender specific characteristics with global male self-esteem being on average higher than that of females. This follows that particularly age and gender are considered to present significant predictors of ‘Global’ self-esteem, and, as such, may vary substantially across contextual and/or developmental domains in youths.

by Jorg Thonnissen (2010) Registered Psychologist

For Hypnotherapy in Perth and Fremantle visit Hypnotic Impact

by Jorg Thonnissen (2010) Registered Psychologist

For Hypnotherapy in Perth and Fremantle visit Hypnotic Impact

Everyone at some point in their life will suffer from anxiety; it is a regular experience for most people. Anxiety can increase alertness and performance in certain situations although it can quickly become an awkward feeling of fear or disaster close at hand, this is a very normal emotional response to danger.

The triggers that make one person feel anxious may not trigger the same response in someone else. However, people who experience ongoing fears or episodes can feel so powerless that it interferes with their normal day-to-day activities.

These people are said to suffer from an anxiety disorder. It may be triggered by certain situations or there may seem to be no visible trigger at all. Anxiety Disorders affect at least 12 % of Australians at some time in their lives and unfortunately, only a small percentage will seek treatment.

What causes anxiety disorders?

Nobody really knows for certain the cause. One explanation explain that it is a response of the body to a stressful situation. Most of the signs of an anxiety disorder imitate the flight or fright response. This reaction is caused by a biochemical or physiological response the body goes through when open to danger. This process affects the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline in the body. This can make the heart pump faster and faster and the person affected will become more alert.

Types of anxiety disorders ;
- Social Anxiety
- Panic Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

When an anxiety disorder goes untreated they can cause secondary conditions like depression, drug or alcohol abuse and agro phobia. The good news is that generally anxiety disorders can be effectively treated with Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy works by amplifying your mind to feel calm and relaxed. By using your subconscious mind, hypnotherapy can relieve anxiety using direct suggestion and by changing your behavioral patterns. Hypnotherapy allows you to better control over how you feel, react and behave.

If you would like to discover how hypnotherapy can help you to manage your anxiety please Contact Us and we will be happy to discuss a treatment plan specifically for you.

By Jorg Thonnissen (2010) Psychologist

Food is often used as a substitute for things that are missing in our lives. For this reason, we will need to first and foremost, identify what triggers the kind of eating pattern/s you wish to change.
Many people come to realise that these triggers, and their eating, are closely linked to the way they feel. In other words, individuals may come to discover that they eat because they feel stressed, sad, depressed, unloved, bored, etc. Then, based on these triggers and the associated feelings, clients may unknowingly develop a certain behavioural pattern which they keep reinforcing throughout their day.
For instance, think of how easy or automatic a habit or ritual it is to come home from a day at work, walk through the door, take off your jacket, look at the mail while turning on the kettle and grab something out of the fridge or cupboard to eat or, snacking on a bag of chips or some cheese and wine while watching your favourite TV show or a movie, so as to make yourself comfortable and give yourself that feeling of being ‘nurtured’.

For these and other instances, food can give us the impression of feeling ‘full’ inside, especially when we are emotionally drained. In fact, certain foods have a definite physiological effect on how we feel. For instance, there is evidence that eating chocolate increases the levels of endorphins released into the brain, giving credence to the claim that chocolate is a comfort food. Another common neurotransmitter affected by chocolate is serotonin – a brain chemical that when low, is linked to depression. Either way, the more often the daily food ritual is repeated, the more we tend to have the desire to eat when the triggers are evident.

With such seemingly harmless habits or rituals as those mentioned above, you can see why for most of us, starting and maintaining a strict exercise or healthy food routine seems extremely difficult if not nearly impossible for a lot of people. This is particularly so when we are so busy trying to balance work life and home life that we often have very little time left for anything else.
By using hypnosis, a person can be trained at a subconscious level to achieve the goals that they set for themselves. Hypnosis can help you feel more relaxed and to deal with stress in a different, more productive manner. It can induce positive thinking, and a needed change in attitude to get you where you want to go.
As with any diet or exercise program, to make weight loss effective through using hypnosis, the person who is being hypnotised has to make the commitment to achieving the goals that are set.

The first and most important stage is to identify when you eat, and what the underlying beliefs and issues are that lead to excessive eating. Following this, we will aim to instil specific commands at a conscious and subconscious level to help achieve the goals you have set out to accomplish, and to deal with the beliefs and behaviours associated with your weight.
There is little doubt that a change in belief and behaviour will ultimately lead to a more desired outcome. Hypnotherapy, therefore, is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), with the difference from other forms of CBT being that hypnotherapy seems to overcome our somewhat subconscious resistance to changing behaviours much faster.
Using hypnosis can be an effective tool towards losing weight. Simple commands can assist in shedding habits that most overweight people share, such as eating too fast, dealing with stress by eating, and using food as a substitute to addressing emotional issues. To tailor hypnotic commands to your specific needs, such commands are derived from the list of commands that you will have nominated to be incorporated into your hypnosis session.

By tailoring a program to your specific needs, you are helping to ensure success towards your chosen goals.