Exploring the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment, Self-Esteem, and Silencing the Self in India

Early social experiences of an individual profoundly impact their subsequent development of self-concept, psychopathology, affect regulation and interpersonal skills. The present study examines the relationship between childhood maltreatment, silencing the self, and self-esteem. Silencing the self, a construct proposed by Jack (1991), refers to the extent to which individuals perceive themselves based on external standards, sacrifice their needs as an act of caring, silence their opinions to avoid conflicts, and feel a disparity between their inner and outer selves. The study included 70 young adults (18-25 years; 51 females, 19 males) from India, recruited using snowball sampling. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between silencing the self and childhood maltreatment. Self-esteem was found to have a significant negative correlation with both childhood maltreatment and silencing the self. Further analysis revealed that childhood maltreatment and silencing the self act as significant predictors of self-esteem, but only self-esteem acts as a significant predictor of silencing the self. The findings of this study have important implications for understanding the influence of socialisation and consequent psychological changes in an individual.