Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsImportanceTheories of Self-EsteemCausesHealthy Self-EsteemLow Self-EsteemExcessive Self-EsteemHow to Improve
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Importance
Theories of Self-Esteem
Causes
Healthy Self-Esteem
Low Self-Esteem
Excessive Self-Esteem
How to Improve
Close
Self-esteem is your subjective sense of overall personalworthor value. Similar to self-respect, it describes your level of confidence in your abilities and attributes.
Having healthy self-esteem can influence your motivation, your mental well-being, and your overall quality of life. However, having self-esteem that is either too high or too low can be problematic. Better understanding what your unique level of self-esteem is can help you strike a balance that is just right for you.
Key elements of self-esteem include:
Other terms often used interchangeably with self-esteem include self-worth, self-regard, and self-respect.
Self-esteem tends to be lowest in childhood and increases during adolescence, as well as adulthood, eventually reaching a fairly stable and enduring level. This makes self-esteem similar to the stability of personality traits over time.
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Why Self-Esteem Is Important
Self-esteem impacts your decision-making process, your relationships, your emotional health, and your overall well-being. It also influencesmotivation, as people with a healthy, positive view of themselves understand their potential and may feel inspired to take on new challenges.
Four key characteristics of healthy self-esteem are:
People with low self-esteem tend to feel less sure of their abilities and may doubt their decision-making process. They may not feel motivated to try novel things because they don’t believe they can reach their goals. Those with low self-esteem may have issues with relationships and expressing their needs. They may also experience low levels of confidence and feel unlovable and unworthy.
People with overly high self-esteem may overestimate their skills and may feel entitled to succeed, even without the abilities to back up their belief in themselves. They may struggle with relationship issues and block themselves from self-improvement because they are so fixated onseeing themselves as perfect.
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Many theorists have written about the dynamics involved in the development of self-esteem. The concept of self-esteem plays an important role in psychologist Abraham Maslow’shierarchy of needs, which depicts esteem as one of the basic human motivations.
Maslow suggested that individuals need both appreciation from other people and inner self-respect to build esteem. Both of these needs must be fulfilled in order for an individual to grow as a person and reachself-actualization.
It is important to note that self-esteem is a concept distinct fromself-efficacy, which involves how well you believe you’ll handle future actions, performance, or abilities.
Factors That Affect Self-Esteem
Racism and discrimination have also been shown to have negative effects on self-esteem.Additionally, genetic factors that help shape a person’s personality can play a role, but life experiences are thought to be the most important factor.
There are some simple ways to tell if you have healthy self-esteem. You probably have healthy self-esteem if you:
Having healthy self-esteem can help motivate you to reach your goals, because you are able to navigate life knowing that you are capable of accomplishing what you set your mind to. Additionally, when you have healthy self-esteem, you are able toset appropriate boundariesin relationships and maintain ahealthy relationshipwith yourself and others.
Low self-esteemmay manifest in a variety of ways. If you have low self-esteem:
Low self-esteem has the potential to lead to a variety of mental health disorders, including anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. You may also find it difficult to pursue your goals and maintain healthy relationships. Having low self-esteem can seriously impact your quality of life and increases your risk for experiencing suicidal thoughts.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
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Overly high self-esteem is often mislabeled asnarcissism, however there are somedistinct traitsthat differentiate these terms. Individuals with narcissistic traits may appear to have high self-esteem, but their self-esteem may be high or low and is unstable, constantly shifting depending on the given situation.Those with excessive self-esteem:
When self-esteem is too high, it can result in relationship problems, difficulty with social situations, and an inability to accept criticism.
How to Improve Self-Esteem
Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to address problems with your perceptions of yourself and faith in your abilities. How do you build self-esteem? Some actions that you can take to helpimprove your self-esteeminclude:
Low self-esteem can contribute to or be a symptom of mental health disorders, includinganxietyanddepression. Consider speaking with a doctor or therapist about available treatment options, which may includepsychotherapy(in-person or online), medications, or a combination of both.
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Though some of the causes of low self-esteem can’t be changed, such as genetic factors, early childhood experiences, and personality traits, there are steps you can take to feel more secure and valued. Remember that no one person is less worthy than the next. Keeping this in mind may help you maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem.
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7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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von Soest T, Wagner J, Hansen T, Gerstorf D.Self-esteem across the second half of life: The role of socioeconomic status, physical health, social relationships, and personality factors.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2018;114(6):945-958. doi:10.1037/pspp0000123
Johnson AJ.Examining associations between racism, internalized shame, and self-esteem among African Americans.Cogent Psychology. 2020;7(1):1757857. doi:10.1080/23311908.2020.1757857
Gabriel AS, Erickson RJ, Diefendorff JM, Krantz D.When does feeling in control benefit well-being? The boundary conditions of identity commitment and self-esteem.Journal of Vocational Behavior. 2020;119:103415. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103415
Nguyen DT, Wright EP, Dedding C, Pham TT, Bunders J.Low self-esteem and its association with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in Vietnamese secondary school students: A cross-sectional study.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:698. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00698
Brummelman E, Thomaes S, Sedikides C.Separating narcissism from self-esteem.Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2016;25(1):8-13. doi:10.1177/0963721415619737
Maslow AH.Motivation and Personality. 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row; 1987.
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