While self-esteem develops after life's primary needs have been satisfied, other factors can influence its development. This thesis investigates the self-esteem of high school and college athletes. The independent variables investigated were gender, athletic participation, family structure, and reported grades. The dependent variables were the self-esteem scores for four sub-scales of the Texas Social Behavior Inventory: (1)Confidence; (2) Dominance; (3) Social Competence; and (4) Total. The sample consisted of 279 students, ranging from 9th grade through college sophomores. Findings showed that athletic participants have a higher self-esteem than nonparticipants and that athletic participation has a positive impact on academic achievement. Results also showed that the following interactions were statistically significant: gender for the dependent variable Social Competence (female students had a higher total self-esteem than male students); family structure for the dependent variable Social Competence; gender, athletic participation, and family structure for the dependent variable Social Competence; reported grades and athletic participation for the dependent variable Confidence; reported grades and athletic participation for the dependent variable Social Competence; athletic participation and gender for the dependent variable Confidence; and reported grades and athletic participation for the dependent variable Dominance. Students generally reported a positive self-esteem. Appended are copies of correspondence, the testing procedure, a student information form, the survey instrument, and scoring procedure. Contains 61 references. (RJM)