Self-realization and self-esteem: a preliminary investigation of young people in Nairobi who do not know their parentage.

Abstract

Purpose: To know the correlation between religiosity and perceived family support and the self-esteem and self-development of young people who do not know their parentage. Method: This was a non-experimental correlation study that investigated the interrelationship between self-realization and self-esteem. Further, the research utilized convenience sampling and moderate participation. Besides, the study took an urban bias, focusing on young people in Nairobi Pentecostal Church Academy and Nairobi Pentecostal Church, Woodley. A questionnaire was distributed to 136 participants. However, the study limited the sample to 28 participants for analysis. This was because only 14 of the 136 participants did not know their parentage. As a result, a similar number who knew their parentage were sampled for comparison purposes. They were all Kenyan Africans living in Nairobi. The sheet included a demographic questionnaire that asked for each participant's gender, age group, and whether or not they know their parent (s). It also had the Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale, a Religiosity Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Family Scale (Appendix I). These were used to measure the participants' levels of self-esteem, religiosity, and perceived family support respectively. Data analysis involved determining certain variables: religiosity and perceived family social supports' relationship to respondents' self-esteem. Further, the hypotheses were tested for statistical significance using the T test and interpretations duly made. Results: Respondents who know their parentage are more likely to have a stable social identity, hence a higher self-esteem. Also, religious and spiritual commitment influences self esteem positively. What is more, only about 11 per cent of the religious commitment of the respondents is referable to their self-esteem. If so, since 43 per cent of the respondents' religiosity and family support is referable to their family and church setting, fully 57 per cent of their self-esteem is attributable to other factors or settings, e.g. the school. Most important, a strong or healthy self-esteem among respondents is partly a product of wholesome interactions between young people and their parents. Conclusion: A statistically significant difference exists about religiosity scores and perceived family support scores of respondents. Only the correlation between selfesteem and religiosity, among respondents who know their parentage; and the correlation between self-esteem and perceived family support, for respondents who do not know their parentage, are significant statistically. Key words: Self-esteem; self-realization; self-development; religiosity; perceived family social support; parentage.