I don’t want a pizza.
That’s your problem then.
I was going to say yes they do, check out the section on teenagers to see that they pretty much say a sense self-worth has nothing to do any of the activities they partake of. Then I realised you probably mean that “It is factors other than a sense of self worth that determine their reaction” rather than “it is a certain sense of self worth that determines it”. But again, that is at the very least implied by what the article says, ie, since there is no significant correlation between self-esteem and these issues it must be due to other factors. Oh well.
Also, they do admit that self-esteem is pretty much unmeasurable, at least with any degree of rigor, since the only way to do so is to ask people and they can quite simply lie about it. If you want to see their definition of self esteem for their research you’d probably have to read the paper itself, not just an article about it. And I agree that they’re talking about how shitty and unscientific the research done into the matter rather than being unscientific themselves.
Sin, I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is I’m hungry now.
The power of the placebo?
Perhaps I’m incorrect, but what I think he’s saying is that he’s using the same vague definition of self-esteem that is commonly used in these psuedo-scientific studies. If you’re trying to refute the study, you should use the same definition. Thus, ordering a pizza in Italian in Italy.
GAP’s right.
I guess an English degree is good for SOMETHING. 
You shouldn’t knock your degree. English is really important. Its all a matter of how you use it. The reason I’m good at what I do is not because I took AP Bio in high school, but because of my AP English classes. I learned more about formulating an idea and picking apart ideas in English than in my science classes.
Good point. I just got stranded in an area with no non-engineering non-nursing jobs to speak of (Syracuse). I’m moving out in January to MD, near DC, so I’m sure I’ll be able to put my degree to use (finally).
I just mentioned it because you used to knock people with liberal arts degrees.
Justified self-esteem based on achievement is enormously valuable psychologically. Kids who find a way to excel - academically, in sports, in the arts, socially - really are protected against any number of bad consequences and are more likely to take on further challenges in the future.
But divorcing self-esteem from any real-world reason for it is actively harmful, as it leaves people without any meaningful context for their choices.
The desire to make the benefits of achievement available to kids regardless of ability is understandable, but it can be done without tossing the idea of meaningful judgment out the window - for instance by creating contexts where patience and diligence bring rewards of the kind that brains/talent/etc. bring in their own spheres.
In other words, you don’t have to tear down Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in order to build Hufflepuff!