Hello all,
I’ve recently read an article about self-esteem. I thought it brought some valid points and some solid argumentation demonstrating that no entering the process of self-evaluation is pretty much the best alternative to an high or low self-esteem.
You can find the article here:
geocities.com/forbidden_area/esteem.html
Take the time to read it, it’s really worth your time.
I would be very interested to hear your insight about this.
Here’s the key principles. I would be interest what you think about the author’s interpretation of self-esteem and the hindrance it causes.
Remember, Key Point #1: Self-esteem must, in some way, be earned.
Remember, Key Point #2: Self-esteem must be earned repeatedly. It is never permanent.
Remember, Key Point #3: Self-esteem leads intermittently to self-damnation.
Remember, Key Point #4: Self-esteem usually promotes social and behavioral inhibition.
Remember, Key Point #5: A compulsive drive for self-esteem leads to frequent anxiety.
As an immediate corollary, we deduce Key Point #6: Self-esteem- related anxiety is an obstacle to achieving those goals essential to our self-esteem!
So, remember, Key Point #7: To overcome self-esteem-related anxiety and inhibition, recognize that your choice is not between self-esteem and self-condemnation. Your choice, rather, is between establishing an overall self-image and establishing no self-image. View your external actions and traits as desirable or undesirable, but abstain from esteeming or damning yourself as a whole.
My questionning about self-esteem is of the upmost importance. How do you evaluate a human being? On which standards to you determine it’s value? Can a human being be rated on certain criterias? Which one? How does one proceed to such a task?
I consider self-esteem to pretty much be a synonym to self-evaluation. In other words, self-esteem in itself is neutral, until the evaluation is done…
which leads to either low or high self-esteem (I haven’t heard of moderate self-esteem yet).
Some say that self-esteem it is not a value put on yourself by someone else. And yet, In order to evaluate something, you have to compare it to something or someone. And so, someone with low self-esteem will have a feeling of inferiority compared to others. How can you have low self-esteem unless you compare yourself to others? Impossible.
Example, if you evaluate the quality of something, you have to have some kind of point of reference to determine if the quality is good or bad.
This is why, wether you want it or not, your value is determined by others, if indirectly.