In the article Family Integration and Children's Self-Esteem, the authors hypothesize that children and their development of self will benefit from the integration of their parents into the family. In the article, the authors attempt to "examine the impact of the family as a form of social organization on children's self-esteem". .
They begin by describing what they believe to be the two ideal types of family life. The highest level of the family mode of organization is when all of the individual's social life is organized around the family. This includes production, resources, recreation, education, protection, associates, and all other social activities and relationships. The second mode of organization is the non-family mode. This is where all of an individual's social activities are organized around non-family units. These units can be businesses, schools, and governmental agencies. The author's explain that they understand that no one family's organization matches either of these modes, however, most fall somewhere between the two.
The authors quote Coopersmith by saying that "Self-Esteem is generally conceptualized as the central evaluative component of the self, and it reflects the extent to which individuals believe they are worthwhile and merit respect". This means that the amount of Self-Esteem an individual possesses reflects upon their own definition of themselves as well as their interpretation of how others judge them.
One of the empirical predictions that is stated in the article is that parental activities within the home can lead to increased Self-Esteem in the children. These activities include family eating, playing games together, helping with homework, and encouraging creative activities such as arts and crafts. Some affects of these activities on children may lead to the realization that they are needed and valued by their parents. .
The data for the analysis came from a panel study of mothers and their children.
