If someone goes on a show like big brother and the public love them, they will clearly get a boost to their self-esteem - the approval of others is a key factor in self-confidence.

It could be argued, though, that to go on a reality show in the first place one must have a reasonable level of confidence already. So the show isn't making people more confident it is just giving them a place to showcase their already strong character.

In everyday life we present a certain 'face' to those around us, not revealing everything about ourselves. Yet in the environment of a reality TV programme, there is nowhere to hide; not only are you often cooped up with the same group of people 24/7, but cameras capture aspects of your life that are normally private. You are often placed in high pressure situations with no opportunity to hide your emotional reactions. To be accepted 'warts and all' by people who have seen you arguably at your worst is the biggest complement there can be. It reinforces the idea that the 'real' you is perfectly acceptable and something to be proud of.

Far from self-acceptance, these brutal levels of exposure can lead to doubt and self-loathing. Watching the footage, people see aspects of themselves they never normally would; they are forced to see themselves drunk, argumentative, or looking dodgy first thing in the morning. Their image of themselves is shattered by the often ugly reality, which leads to poor self-esteem.

The fact that in 2008 more people participated in voting for the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' than in the 2005 General Elections must allow the participants of the show to feel content about gaining more interest than politics. This is not surprising though when we have a PM like Gordon Brown or opposition such as David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Feeling disliked by others will always have a negative effect, whether on reality TV or in real-life situations. Being unpopular amongst your school mates is arguable a more damaging eventuality than being voted out of Big Brother. The fact that you were chosen to participate and have received any recognition at all should be enough to feed most people' s egos; even 'hate' figures like original Big Brother baddie 'Nasty Nick' or 2007's terrifying Charley achieve a kind of notoriety. They are people we 'love to hate'; it is a perverse kind of public affection.

If, on the other hand someone goes on a reality show and is disliked by the general public, their morale, self-esteem and confidence may suffer as a result. If people don't like you, you start to question why, and question yourself, and your confidence nose-dives.

Some reality TV stars go on to have long careers in the media, having been given the confidence and exposure by their initial experiences. Jane Macdonald, who's career began on the Cruise Ship fly-on-the wall documentary, went on to have a Platinum album and now presents ITV's Loose Women. Big Brother winner Brian Dowling has had a successful presenting career. Before her slightly disastrous return to Big Brother (a particularly exceptional case) Jade Goody had carved a very profitable career out of her appearance on reality TV.

While the approval and affection of your peers might be a confidence boost, the effect of having been on a reality show is very different. While for five minutes you might feel popular, in reality your new 'celebrity' status will isolate you from your real friends. When the public gets bored of you, or worse, the press becomes hostile towards you in search of a better story, it will be a crushing blow; you will have gained nothing and lost the sense of security you had before you became 'famous.'

Just because the public loves you, that does not mean that you will love yourself. Self-esteem stems from much more than the approval of others. Although it certainly helps, sometimes someone can be very popular, but think very ltitle of themselves.

On the other hand competitions with prizes do tend to cause shyer or otherwise un-known people to speak up, get counted. This can lead to them getting a higher self-estem in the long run.

Competitions for money tend to bring out the worst in people-it can cause violence and spite! The contestants would do this when it becomes closer to the final votes. It might even bring out the worst in the viewers sometimes, most of the time they watch it to see people humiliate themselves because they gt a kick out of it. this goes back to our primal insticnts that violence is good and laughing at other peoples expense is fun.