Task Force to Promote Self-esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility Records, 1986-1990

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Summary

Creators:
Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility
Abstract:
The Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility was established by Statutes 1986, Chapter 1065 (AB3659, Vasconcellos) as a three year, twenty-five-member task force to investigate the effect self-esteem has on society. The Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility Records consists of five and one-half cubic feet of textual material and five cubic feet of audiovisual material covering the years 1987-1990.
Extent:
5.5 cubic feet of textual records
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English

Background

Scope and content:

The Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility Record consists of five and one-half cubic feet of textual material and five cubic feet of audiovisual material covering the years 1987-1990. The collection is organized into fourteen series: Publications, Final Report Files, Committee Files, County Task Force Files, Member Files, Meeting Packet Files, Meeting Files, "Think Tank" Files, ACR Files, Statewide Task Force Public Hearing Files, "Esteem" Back Issues, Press Files, Correspondence, and State Agency Correspondence. The textual records contain primarily correspondence, memorandum, minutes, newspaper articles, reports, and meeting notes. Audiovisual materials are of hearings and meetings. The scope of the Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility records cover the three-year period of the task force's existence and its investigation into self-esteem as a social issue. Topics include self-esteem research, committee activities, task force communication with the county task forces and with other state agencies, creating the final report, and promoting self-esteem as a legitimate state expense.

The files reflect ambivalence on self-esteem's affect on society. Task force members disagreed on the definition of self-esteem so completely that the task force set up a definition committee to evaluate the task force's various working definitions and create a more agreeable definition. To further help define self-esteem, the task force members contacted experts who were not associated with task force's work. One of the most contentious areas was how much personal responsibility was involved in self-esteem. Some members argued that self-esteem could not exist without someone taking personal responsibility for their actions while others argued that personal responsibility could only be achieved after someone developed positive self-esteem. Another area of disagreement was the role of family and faith in developing self-esteem. While some task force members viewed faith and the family as the original sources of positive self-esteem, others view society as the starting point of self-esteem. This fundamental disagreement on the definition of self-esteem lasted until the final report, which contains several dissenting or minority opinions relating to the final report's content.

Biographical / historical:

The Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility was established by Statutes 1986, Chapter 1065 (AB3659, Vasconcellos) as a three year, twenty-five-member task force to investigate the effect self-esteem has on society. The task force lasted from 1987 to 1989 and released its final report, Toward a State of Esteem, in 1990. Assembly member John Vasconcellos and Senator Art Torres were ex facto members.

In the 1987-1988 session the State Assembly passed ACR 64 and ACR 65, both authored by John Vasconcellos. ACR 64 recommended the creation of self-esteem task forces at the county level and over forty-five counties responded by creating task forces that mirrored the statewide task force. ACR 65 called on state agencies to cooperate and communicate with the Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility.

In order to pursue its mandate, the task force consisted of five committees: executive; media and communications; public involvement; resources; and program quality. The various committees aided in creating the final report and in coordinating public meetings and hearings. The Assembly enacted the task force as a cost-effective means of reducing and eliminating social problems. After publishing the final report, the State Legislature did not create a replacement task force or extend the mandate.

The task force held nine public meetings:

March 4, 1988 in San Jose

May 20, 1988 in Fresno

August 26, 1988 in San Diego

September 26, 1988 in San Francisco

October 12, 1988 in Humboldt County

February 2, 1988 in Orange County

March 2, 1988 in Long Beach

March 16,1988 in Los Angeles

April 11, 1988 in Sacramento.

Acquisition information:
The California State Archives acquired the Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility Records according to state law.
Accruals:

No further accruals are expected.

Physical location:
California State Archives
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, CA 95814, US
Contact:
(916) 653-2246
reference@sos.ca.gov
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