Childhood experiences We form beliefs about ourselves as a result of life experiences, especially in early childhood. Often the beliefs we form about ourselves are conclusions we draw based on events in our lives. This means that at some point in life it was reasonable to form these beliefs. Later in this module we'll look at how useful these beliefs are in the present, but first we'll explore the process of forming beliefs about ourselves. We all learn differently. We can learn from direct experience, get information from the media, watch what other people do and listen to what they say. We do this throughout our lives, but often (though not always) our beliefs about ourselves are formed in childhood. This means that our childhood experiences, the family we grew up in, the society we moved in, the school we attended, and the peers we interacted with influenced our thoughts and beliefs about all things, including us themselves. If we have come to extremely negative conclusions and formed negative beliefs about ourselves as a result, it is likely that we have encountered many negative experiences that contributed to this. Now let's talk about some of these negative experiences. Punishment, neglect or abuse How we were treated as children affects how we perceive ourselves and who we are. When a child is abused, often harshly and unpredictably punished, neglected, ignored or abused, all these experiences leave emotional and psychological scars on the child. Therefore, it is not surprising that a person who experienced such experiences in childhood has a very negative attitude towards himself. Non-conformity to parental demands Self-perception is also negatively affected by less severe punishment or constant criticism. If your parents, caregivers, and family members frequently point out your weaknesses and mistakes and rarely acknowledge your positive qualities or successes (you may have often heard phrases such as “You could do better” or “It’s not enough”), or if you often teased, ridiculed and insulted, you may also have developed a negative self-image. Not being able to fit in at home or school Some of us probably feel "weird" at home or school. You were probably not as smart as your siblings, or had interests, talents, or skills that weren't shared with other family members (such as artistic, musical, or athletic talents; for example, you liked math, science, or other arts ). Chances are you haven't been criticized for having different interests or abilities, but your interests haven't been recognized. In this case, the behavior or achievements of your siblings or peers were praised and celebrated. So you thought about yourself: “I’m strange,” “I’m different,” or “I’m worse than others.” Not meeting peer group standards In late childhood and adolescence, our experiences with peers also influence our perception of ourselves. Adolescence is a time when physical appearance is important for a boy or girl. Because of the negative messages conveyed by the media, a young man or girl who is overweight, has a strong or knocked-down physique, and does not have sufficient positive experiences communicating with his peers, may believe that “I am fat and ugly,” “I am unattractive,” or “ Nobody likes me". Young people who have other appearance problems, such as problematic skin, may also develop a negative self-image, especially if they have been teased or ridiculed by peers about it. Victim of Others' Stress or ExperienceSometimes when a family finds themselves in a stressful or anxious life situation, parents have to give the problem their full attention. Consequently, they pay insufficient attention to children. In such difficult circumstances, parents or guardians become upset,.