Self-Esteem

 

INTRODUCTION -  Your subjective and sincere assessment of your own value serves as the foundation for your level of self-esteem. Numerous theorists and psychologists have investigated the dynamics of the psychology of self-esteem because it is a difficult subject. Abraham Maslow, one of these psychologists who is more known, emphasized in his well-known hierarchy of needs that self-esteem is crucial to reaching self-actualization. Maslow proposes five fundamental categories in the hierarchy, which is represented as a pyramid, that underlie people's motivation:

1. ·         Psychological needs
2. ·         Safety needs
3. ·         Need for love and belonging
4. ·         Esteem needs
5. ·         Self-Actualization

Maslow depicts esteem as a fundamental human need by including it in his hierarchy. In actuality, he only saw safety needs, social belonging needs, and physiological needs (health, food, water, etc.) as more fundamental needs in our life.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF CONFIDENCE

While there may be a few somewhat different viewpoints on this, a plausible explanation is that self-esteem encompasses your total perception of yourself, whereas confidence tends to be more focused on your skills. Self-esteem, on the other hand, is a personality attribute that tends to be solid and enduring most of the time, whereas confidence can vary based on the ability in question or the situation. For instance, it would not be odd to have high levels of self-esteem but lack confidence in algebra. It's possible that your lack of confidence in algebra doesn't affect how you feel about yourself in general. Nevertheless, there is a distinct link between confidence and self-esteem. You are more likely to feel confident if you love yourself (in a sincere, non-arrogant way) and have high levels of self-esteem as a result. Similar to how having a lot of confidence can boost your self-esteem. So, despite the fact that the two attributes are different, they are nevertheless comparable and interconnected.

IS LOW SELF-ESTEEM THE SAME AS DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY

Low self-esteem needs to be treated independently for the same reason that depression and anxiety are related but still distinct illnesses. Although it is reasonable to believe that someone who has poor self-esteem is more prone to experience depression or anxiety, this is by no means a given. When you take the symptoms into account, the boundaries can fuzziness even more. Lethargy, a sense of worthlessness, and social withdrawal, for example, can be symptoms of all three. Keep in mind that self-esteem is your subjective assessment of your own value to help you make the distinction. Regardless of this, depression and anxiety can arise or not.

WHY IS SELF-ESTEEM IMPORTANT

Human nature compels us to be influenced by others' opinions of us, but what about our own? Whether we are aware of it or not, we are almost surely going to be impacted by how we see ourselves personally, and this should matter much more than what other people think. Therefore, the choices we make and the way we conduct our lives—as well as our objectives, desires, and capacity to realize our potential—can be influenced by our levels of self-esteem.

You're more likely to be in touch with your sense of purpose and feel truly like yourself if you have strong self-esteem. You'll have more self-assurance in your choices (regardless of what others think), be more likely to view failure as a necessary part of life and a springboard for achievement, and be able to persevere and bounce back from setbacks. You will innately be more driven and motivated, eager to take on new challenges and aware of your own worth. Great, isn't it? Therefore, it should not be surprising that so many highly successful people are frequently described as having a strong sense of self-worth.

Would Jeff Bezos have succeeded in growing Amazon to its present state without it? If Elon Musk didn't have confidence in himself, would he have been able to overcome the challenging obstacles Tesla and SpaceX were continually facing? What about Kanye West (I won't say what I think of him since I'm afraid that 50% of people would immediately leave this website as a result)?It should be mentioned that having a high sense of self-worth does not equate to being conceited, egotistical, or pretentious. These carry a negative connotation, although one should think positively when discussing one's self-esteem. Furthermore, having a high sense of self-worth does not necessitate having enormous riches or a respectable position in society. Your assessment of yourself will be used to compare it against one’s own aspirations.

To balance out this assessment, we should also take the effect of poor self-esteem into account. Lack of self-esteem is not always a sign of lack of ambition or of being a negative person in any manner. However, having a poor self-esteem will inescapably make it harder for you to achieve your goals. Imagine trying to achieve enormous fortune when you don't believe you deserve it, competing in sports with no confidence in your abilities, or being a leader with very little faith in your ability to motivate others. Sounds somewhat challenging, doesn't it?

People with poor self-esteem are more inclined to be unduly critical of themselves while also being sensitive to criticism from others. They could have problems with trust, have trouble making decisions, and have trouble remaining persistent and overcoming obstacles. More severe instances of poor self-esteem can lead to self-abnegation, sadness, anxiety, addictions, and hopelessness. You are clearly at a disadvantage if you have low self-esteem, but it's important to keep in mind that you might not feel this way voluntarily. While some people naturally have lower self-esteem than others, a particularly trying experience or significant trauma can dramatically alter your perspective on life and yourself.

BY O J Himani

B15-25.