TEEN

MENTAL HEALTH
AND LIFE SKILLS
WORKBOOK

Teen
Teen
Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem
Workbook
Workbook
Facilitator
Facilitator Reproducible
Reproducible
Self-Assessments,
Self-Assessments, Exercises Exercises
& Educational
& Educational HandoutsHandouts
John J. Liptak, EdD
Ester A. Leutenberg
Illustrated by
Amy L. Brodsky, LISW-S
Ester A. Leutenberg
& John J. Liptak, Ed.D.

Illustrated by Amy L. Brodsky, lisw-s

Duluth, Minnesota
 Introduction for the Participant
Healthy self-esteem is essential for survival and life success. A significant connection
between self-esteem and overall life satisfaction is evident. People with healthy self-
esteem seem to enjoy life to the fullest, make effective choices to get what they
want, connect easily with other people in their lives, trust other people more, and feel at
ease expressing emotions and opinions. They are less troubled by inner problems, less
affected by the criticism of others, and more adept at finding ways to achieve their full
potential. Unhealthy self-esteem can show itself in a variety of ways. Some people
with low self-esteem find it difficult to
have healthy relationships with others; sometimes they feel depressed, anxious and
possibly even worthless.

Self-esteem is your assessment of your personal worth as a human being, and it is

largely based on your approval of yourself and the approval of others around you.
Because self- esteem is a combination of many traits and attitudes you have about
yourself, it can be a challenge to change. Nonetheless, people can change and are able
to boost their self-esteem! It happens all the time! You can work to eliminate the causes
of low self-esteem and to create a healthy sense of self-esteem.

Self-esteem tends to be a fairly stable quality, but it can swing one way or another
based on your relationships, your critical inner thoughts, and the feelings you have about
yourself. It’s your choice. You can directly build and nourish healthy aspects of your self-
esteem and adapt in positive ways to difficult challenges as they occur throughout
your life.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The Teen Self-Esteem Workbook is designed to provide you with a step-by-step plan to
help you build a realistic, healthy, positive sense of self. This approach requires that
you learn about yourself by journaling your thoughts and feelings and by practicing the
skills that are being taught in this workbook. Therefore, you will be asked to respond to
assessments and exercises, and to journal about some experiences in your
relationships.

Everyone has the right to confidentiality, and you must honor the right of other
people's privacy. Think about it this way – you would not want someone writing
things about you that other people could read. Your friends probably feel the same
way. In order to maintain the confidentiality of your friends, assign people code
names based on things you know about them. For example, a friend named Sherry
who loves to wear purple might be coded as SWP (Sherry Wears Purple). Do not use
any person’s actual name when you are listing people.
 SECTION I:

Teen
Self-Esteem
Scale

Name

Date

© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
TEEN SELF-ESTEEM © 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-
247-6789

Teen Self-Esteem Scale

Directions

Self-esteem is the way you feel about yourself. It is your perception of your worth,
as well as your perception of what others think of you. Good self-esteem is being
able to think and
speak positively and confidently about yourself without bragging or being arrogant. It is
one of the most important aspects of your personal development. It is necessary for
effective social and emotional growth and is vital in your efforts to reach your full
potential.

The Teen Self-Esteem Scale can help you identify how you currently feel about yourself.
This assessment contains 32 statements. Read each of the statements and decide if the
statement is true or false. If it is true, circle the word True next to the statement. If
the statement is false, circle the word False next to the statement. Ignore the letters
after the True and False choices. They are for scoring purposes and will be used
later. Complete all 32 items before going back to score the Self-Esteem Scale.

In the following example, the circled False indicates that the item is false for the person
completing the scale:

False (A)
1. I need constant approval and r e c o g n i t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . True (B) Score

This is not a test and there are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much
time thinking about your answers. Your initial response will be the most true for
you.
Be sure to respond to every statement.

(Turn to the next page and begin)

© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
 SECTION I: TEEN SELF-ESTEEM SCALE

Teen Self-Esteem Scale

1. I need constant approval and recognition................True (B) False Score

2. I am often embarrassed by the actions of others.....True (B) (A) Score

3. I am concerned about what others think of me........True (B) False Score

4. I am hurt by the opinions and comments of others. (A) Score

True (B)
False

(A)

False (A)
5. I give in to other people quickly........................True (B) False (A) Score

6. I am judgmental of others...................................True (B) False (A) Score

7. I openly voice my opinions..............................True (A) False (B) Score

8. Even if I don't want to, I often go along

with the crowd...............................................True (B) False (A) Score

I.TOTAL =

9. It doesn’t bother me to talk in front of

a group of people...........................................True (A) False (B) Score

10. I rarely know how to start a conversation..............True (B) False (A) Score

11. I often feel inadequate in a new situation...............True (B) False (A) Score

12. I am shy when I am with other people..................True (B) False (A) Score

13. Big crowds make me nervous...........................True (B) False (A) Score

13. I am friendly and comfortable with new people. . .True (A) False (B) Score

14. I like new and different situations.........................True (A) False (B) Score

16. I don't like to be with other people....................True (B) False (A) Score

II. TOTAL =
 (Continued on the next page)

© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
 SECTION I: TEEN SELF-ESTEEM SCALE

(Teen Self-Esteem Scale continued)

17. I don’t think I’m anyone special............................True (B) False (A) Score

18. I often say I should have.................................True (B) False (A) Score

19. I am able to evaluate what is good about me.. . . .True (A) False (B) Score

20. I have a high opinion of myself........................True (A) False (B) Score

21. I can figure out what I need to improve

about myself..................................................True (A) False (B) Score

22. I don't often speak my mind, even if I know

I'm right...........................................................True (B) False (A) Score

23. I am proud of myself......................................True (A) False (B) Score

24. I often feel like a loser........................................True (B) False (A) Score

III. TOTAL =

25. I often exaggerate the truth in order to maintain

my image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True (B) False (A) Score

26. I don't feel ashamed of myself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True (A) False (B) Score

27. I often wish I had what other people have . . . . . . . . . . True (B) False (A) Score

28. I make excuses when I make mistakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . True (B) False (A) Score

29. It is most important to me to do what

I think is right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True (A) False (B) Score

30. I feel that I look as good as most people. . . . . . . . . . . True (A) False (B) Score

31. I would not change much about myself . . . . . . . . . . . . True (A) False (B) Score

32. I often brag about myself and

my accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True (A) False (B) Score
IV. TOTAL =

(Go to the Scoring Directions on the next page)

© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
SECTION I: TEEN SELF-ESTEEM SCALE

Teen Self-Esteem Scale

Scoring Directions

The Teen Self-Esteem Scale is designed to help you better understand your level of
self- esteem. This assessment will help assist you in getting to know yourself better
and provide you with insights into your perceptions of yourself. People with high
self-esteem consider themselves worthy and view themselves as equal to others.
They do not think that they are perfect, but they recognize their limitations and are
continually striving to grow and improve.

Scoring the Assessment

Look at the 32 items. Now you need to focus on the A and B after each choice
rather than the True or False. In the space marked Score for each item, award yourself
one (1) point for every answer you circled with an A next to it and zero (0) points for
every answer you circled with a B next to it. Then total your score on all items and
write that number in the blank below:

I. Approval Total

II. Social Total

III. Pride Total

IV. Image Total

Turn to the next page to interpret your scores on the Teen Self-Esteem Scale.
© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
 SECTION I: TEEN SELF-ESTEEM SCALE

Teen Self-Esteem Scale

Profile Interpretation
Individual Result Indications
Scale Score
You seem to possess few of the characteristics of
someone who has healthy self-esteem. You need to
0 to 2 low
develop skills to respect yourself, consider yourself worthy,
and begin to move directly and realistically toward your
personal and future goals.
You possess some of the characteristics of someone who
has healthy self-esteem. You seem to respect yourself,
3 to 5 moderate
consider yourself worthy, and show that you are able to
move directly and realistically toward your personal and
future goals.
You possess many of the characteristics of someone who
6 to 8 has healthy self-esteem. You respect yourself, consider
high
yourself worthy, and you are able to move directly and
realistically toward your personal and future goals.

For scales you scored in the Moderate or High range, find the descriptions on the
pages that follow. Then, read the description and complete the exercises that follow. No
matter how you scored, low, moderate or high, you will benefit from every one of these
exercises that are designed to help you to increase your understanding of your level
of self-esteem.

Scale Descriptions
APPROVAL – High scores indicate that you do not necessarily need the approval
and recognition of others, you are concerned about what others think of you but do
not obsess over their comments, and you are not easily influenced by what others
do.
SOCIAL – High scores indicate that you enjoy and feel at ease when meeting other
people for the first time, you feel comfortable in new situations, and you enjoy
being in social situations where you can be with other people.
PRIDE – High scores indicate that you take pride in yourself and your accomplishments,
hold yourself in high regard, and know what your strengths are and work to improve
on those aspects that you feel are your weaknesses.
IMAGE – High scores indicate that you have a strong self-image, are comfortable with
the way you are on the inside and look on the outside, and are not overly
concerned about projecting an untrue self-image.
In the following exercises, remember to use Name Codes for the
people you describe.
© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789
SECTION I: ACTIVITY HANDOUTS

Approval
Think about why you need the approval of other people to make yourself feel better. In the
following table, list the people whose approval you need, and why you feel you need it.
Use name codes.

People Whose Approval I Think I Why I Need Their Approval

Need

What surprises did you discover in your responses?

© 2011 WHOLE PERSON ASSOCIATES, 101 W. 2ND ST., SUITE 203, DULUTH MN 55802 • 800-247-6789