No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities. Christian Nestell Bovee Do you think you are a good person? Better than most perhaps? What about smart or intelligent? Or better at your job than most of your co-workers? If so, you are not alone. …
“You are worth it,” “You are enough,” “You are strong,” “You can do it”…. The list goes on and on. Almost every listicle, self-help book or even TV ads lists some version of the above statements—tell yourself you are great, blow kisses to your reflection every morning, hug yourself, we are told. And everything will …
Have you had that one childhood friend that you did almost everything together with? If so, you’ve probably often heard your parents compare you to her/him (mine did): “Look at Jane (John)–how come they are doing better in school, at sports, at playing the piano?” or “Why can’t you be more like Jane (John)?” How …
Confidence and self-esteem are often used interchangeably. So often, that we see them as synonyms. Or at least, very close –like the two sides of the same coin. Or like twin brothers. Or Hansel and Gretel—they always seem to go together. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a confusing tale when it comes to these two …
Self-esteem is not easy to build, no doubt about this. What makes it especially challenging is that low sense of worth can come from many sources, which often can be intertwined and work together to undermine our confidence. One of the greatest influencers on our self-esteem is our relationship with others–our parents, friends, peers, spouses …
The most popular test of measuring self-esteem is the so-called Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). It was developed by the American social psychologist and sociologist Morris Rosenberg in 1965 and quickly became the “go-to” way to assess how much we generally like ourselves. The test is very easy and fast to do, produces immediate results, and …
In his wonderful book “The Myth of Self-Esteem” (published in 2005), the great American psychologist Albert Ellis talks about the disadvantages of pursuing self-esteem and why there are better alternatives to feel good about ourselves. When we hear the words “self-esteem” and “book” in one sentence, we usually think about the self-help section at the …
The Terror Management theory of self-esteem is an interesting concept. Human behavior, it says, is motivated by the awareness that death is inevitable. The tension — that we want to live and that we will all die one day –creates anxiety. Therefore, we need self-esteem as it serves as a buffer—it helps us to decrease the terror and to alleviate the fear of demise, which otherwise “paralyzes” and prevents us from pursuing our life goals.