Self-Esteem
What is self-esteem?
Self esteem is best defined as how you feel about yourself. Generally positive feelings about self lead to high self esteem. Generally negative feelings about self lead to low self-esteem.
What is healthy self esteem like?
People with healthy self esteem may sometimes doubt themselves but their sense of self worth consistently reverts to a normal state. Having healthy self esteem does not mean feeling perfect in every situation. It is just not being continually persecuted by self-defeated thinking. Having healthy or normal self esteem means not being excessively high one minute and feeling completely worthless the next.
What is low self esteem like?
People with low self esteem may Feel down on self and have constant self-doubt. They put a little effort into things because they do not expect success. They feel like a failure relative to everyone else and easily hurt by criticism. Also they may behave timidly and find it difficult to assert themselves. Another kind of low self-esteem behaviors include being negative, always ready to pick a fight, losing temper easily, blaming others or circumstances for every setback. They are feeling angry about not being better and constantly finding fault with the world.
What is the cause of my level of self-esteem?
Your level of self esteem is based upon the unique personal experiences and your understanding of those experiences. Negative thoughts and experiences both can contribute to low self-esteem. No single event or person can determine your level of self esteem. It develops over time.
What are the ways to build self-esteem?
According to Coopersmith (1967), high self-esteem requires two things: setting goals and some success in reaching your goals. In other words, self-esteem is something you earn after you have done something. If you assume responsibility for improving your life, if you put in time and effort on good causes, you will then like yourself better.
Links:
- Psychological Self-Help: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/
- Self-Esteem Learning Foundation: http://www.selfesteem.org/