low self esteem essay introduction

Essay on Self Esteem

Students are often asked to write an essay on Self Esteem in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Self Esteem

Understanding self-esteem.

Self-esteem is the opinion we have about ourselves. It’s about how much we value and respect ourselves. High self-esteem means you think highly of yourself, while low self-esteem means you don’t.

Importance of Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is important because it heavily influences our choices and decisions. It allows us to live life to our potential. High self-esteem leads to confidence, happiness, fulfillment, and achievement.

Building Self-Esteem

Building self-esteem requires positive self-talk, self-acceptance, and self-love. It’s about focusing on your strengths, forgiving your mistakes, and celebrating your achievements.

250 Words Essay on Self Esteem

Introduction.

Self-esteem, a fundamental concept in psychology, refers to an individual’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth. It encompasses beliefs about oneself and emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. It is a critical aspect of personal identity, shaping our perception of the world and our place within it.

The Dual Facet of Self-Esteem

Impact of self-esteem.

High self-esteem can lead to positive outcomes. It encourages risk-taking, resilience, and optimism, fostering success in various life domains. Conversely, low self-esteem can result in fear of failure, social anxiety, and susceptibility to mental health issues like depression. Thus, it’s crucial to nurture self-esteem for psychological well-being.

Building self-esteem involves recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses and accepting them. It requires self-compassion and challenging negative self-perceptions. Positive affirmations, setting and achieving goals, and maintaining healthy relationships can all contribute to enhancing self-esteem.

In conclusion, self-esteem is a complex, multifaceted construct that significantly influences our lives. It is not static and can be improved with conscious effort. Understanding and nurturing our self-esteem is vital for achieving personal growth and leading a fulfilling life.

500 Words Essay on Self Esteem

Self-esteem, a fundamental aspect of psychological health, is the overall subjective emotional evaluation of one’s self-worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self. The importance of self-esteem lies in the fact that it concerns our perceptions and beliefs about ourselves, which can shape our experiences and actions.

The Two Types of Self-esteem

Self-esteem can be classified into two types: high and low. High self-esteem indicates a highly favorable impression of oneself, whereas low self-esteem reflects a negative view. People with high self-esteem generally feel good about themselves and value their worth, while those with low self-esteem usually harbor negative feelings about themselves, often leading to feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and unlovability.

Factors Influencing Self-esteem

Impact of self-esteem on life.

Self-esteem significantly impacts individuals’ mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. High self-esteem can lead to positive outcomes, such as better stress management, resilience, and life satisfaction. On the other hand, low self-esteem is associated with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It can also lead to poor academic and job performance, problematic relationships, and increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse.

Improving Self-esteem

Improving self-esteem requires a multifaceted approach. Cognitive-behavioral therapies can help individuals challenge their negative beliefs about themselves and develop healthier thought patterns. Regular physical activity, healthy eating, and adequate sleep can also boost self-esteem by improving physical health. Furthermore, positive social interactions and relationships can enhance self-esteem by providing emotional support and validation. Lastly, self-compassion and self-care practices can foster a more positive self-image and promote higher self-esteem.

In conclusion, self-esteem is a critical component of our psychological well-being, influencing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is shaped by various factors and can significantly impact our lives. However, it’s not a fixed attribute, and with the right strategies and support, individuals can improve their self-esteem, leading to better mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life. Therefore, understanding and fostering self-esteem is essential for personal growth and development.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

What is Self-Esteem? A Psychologist Explains

What is the Meaning of Self-Esteem in Psychology? Definition, examples, research, books, tips, facts, tests, TED-talks and more...

“Believe in yourself.”

That is the message that we encounter constantly, in books, television shows, superhero comics, and common myths and legends.

We are told that we can accomplish anything if we believe in ourselves.

Of course, we know that to be untrue; we cannot accomplish anything in the world simply through belief—if that were true, a lot more children would be soaring in the skies above their garage roof instead of lugging around a cast for a few weeks!

However, we know that believing in yourself and accepting yourself for who you are is an important factor in success, relationships, and happiness and that self-esteem plays an important role in living a flourishing life . It provides us with belief in our abilities and the motivation to carry them out, ultimately reaching fulfillment as we navigate life with a positive outlook.

Various studies have confirmed that self-esteem has a direct relationship with our overall wellbeing, and we would do well to keep this fact in mind—both for ourselves and for those around us, particularly the developing children we interact with.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you show more compassion to yourself but will also give you the tools to enhance the self-compassion of your clients, students or employees and lead them to a healthy sense of self-esteem.

This Article Contains:

What is the Meaning of Self-esteem? A Definition

Self-Esteem and Psychology

Incorporating self-esteem in positive psychology, 22 examples of high self-esteem, 18 surprising statistics and facts about self-esteem, relevant research, can we help boost self-esteem issues with therapy and counseling, the benefits of developing self-esteem with meditation, can you test self-esteem, and what are the problems with assessment, 17 factors that influence self-esteem, the effects of social media, 30 tips & affirmations for enhancing self-esteem, popular books on self-esteem (pdf), ted talks and videos on self-esteem, 15 quotes on self-esteem, a take-home message, what is the meaning of self-esteem.

You probably already have a good idea, but let’s start from the beginning anyway: what is self-esteem?

Self-esteem refers to a person’s overall sense of his or her value or worth. It can be considered a sort of measure of how much a person “values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or herself” (Adler & Stewart, 2004).

According to self-esteem expert Morris Rosenberg, self-esteem is quite simply one’s attitude toward oneself (1965). He described it as a “favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the self”.

Various factors believed to influence our self-esteem include:

Personality
Life experiences
Social circumstances
The reactions of others
Comparing the self to others

An important note is that self-esteem is not fixed. It is malleable and measurable, meaning we can test for and improve upon it.

Self-esteem and self-acceptance are often confused or even considered identical by most people. Let’s address this misconception by considering some fundamental differences in the nature and consequences of self-esteem and unconditional self-acceptance.

Self-esteem is based on evaluating the self, and rating one’s behaviors and qualities as positive or negative, which results in defining the self as worthy or non-worthy (Ellis, 1994).
Self-acceptance, however, is how the individual relates to the self in a way that allows the self to be as it is. Acceptance is neither positive nor negative; it embraces all aspects and experiences of the self (Ellis, 1976).
Self-esteem relies on comparisons to evaluate the self and ‘decide’ its worth.
Self-acceptance, stems from the realization that there is no objective basis for determining the value of a human being. So with self-acceptance, the individual affirms who they are without any need for comparisons.
Self-esteem is contingent on external factors, such as performance, appearance, or social approval, that form the basis on which the self is evaluated.
With self-acceptance, a person feels satisfied with themselves despite external factors, as this sense of worthiness is not derived from meeting specific standards.
Self-esteem is fragile (Kernis & Lakey, 2010).
Self-acceptance provides a secure and enduring positive relationship with the self (Kernis & Lakey, 2010).
When it comes to the consequences on wellbeing, while self-esteem appears to be associated with some markers of wellbeing, such as high life satisfaction (Myers & Diener, 1995) and less anxiety (Brockner, 1984), there is also a “dark side” of self-esteem, characterized by egotism and narcissism (Crocker & Park, 2003).
Self-acceptance is strongly associated with numerous positive markers of general psychological wellbeing (MacInnes, 2006).

Self-esteem has been a hot topic in psychology for decades, going about as far back as psychology itself. Even Freud , who many consider the founding father of psychology (although he’s a bit of an estranged father at this point), had theories about self-esteem at the heart of his work.

What self-esteem is, how it develops (or fails to develop) and what influences it has kept psychologists busy for a long time, and there’s no sign that we’ll have it all figured out anytime soon!

While there is much we still have to learn about self-esteem, we have at least been able to narrow down what self-esteem is and how it differs from other, similar constructs. Read on to learn what sets self-esteem apart from other self-directed traits and states.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Concept

Self-esteem is not self-concept, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question “Who am I?” It is knowing about one’s own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness.

Put simply, the awareness of who we are is our concept of our self .

Purkey (1988) describes self-concept as:

“the totality of a complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence”.

According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy , self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Image

Another similar term with a different meaning is self-image; self-image is similar to self-concept in that it is all about how you see yourself (McLeod, 2008). Instead of being based on reality, however, it can be based on false and inaccurate thoughts about ourselves. Our self-image may be close to reality or far from it, but it is generally not completely in line with objective reality or with the way others perceive us.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Worth

Self-esteem is a similar concept to self-worth but with a small (although important) difference: self-esteem is what we think, feel, and believe about ourselves, while self-worth is the more global recognition that we are valuable human beings worthy of love (Hibbert, 2013).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Confidence

Self-esteem is not self-confidence ; self-confidence is about your trust in yourself and your ability to deal with challenges, solve problems, and engage successfully with the world (Burton, 2015). As you probably noted from this description, self-confidence is based more on external measures of success and value than the internal measures that contribute to self-esteem.

One can have high self-confidence, particularly in a certain area or field, but still lack a healthy sense of overall value or self-esteem.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Efficacy

Similar to self-confidence, self-efficacy is also related to self-esteem but not a proxy for it. Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to succeed at certain tasks (Neil, 2005). You could have high self-efficacy when it comes to playing basketball, but low self-efficacy when it comes to succeeding in math class.

Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy is more specific rather than global, and it is based on external success rather than internal worth.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Compassion

Finally, self-esteem is also not self-compassion. Self-compassion centers on how we relate to ourselves rather than how we judge or perceive ourselves (Neff, n.d.). Being self-compassionate means we are kind and forgiving to ourselves, and that we avoid being harsh or overly critical of ourselves. Self-compassion can lead us to a healthy sense of self-esteem, but it is not in and of itself self-esteem.

We explore this further in The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© .

Esteem in Maslow’s Theory – The Hierarchy of Needs

The mention of esteem may bring to mind the fourth level of Maslow’s pyramid : esteem needs.

While these needs and the concept of self-esteem are certainly related, Maslow’s esteem needs are more focused on external measures of esteem, such as respect, status, recognition, accomplishment, and prestige (McLeod, 2017).

There is a component of self-esteem within this level of the hierarchy, but Maslow felt that the esteem of others was more important for development and need fulfillment than self-esteem.

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Dr. Martin Seligman has some concerns about openly accepting self-esteem as part of positive psychology . He worries that people live in the world where self-esteem is injected into a person’s identity, not caring in how it is done, as long as the image of “confidence” is obtained. He expressed the following in 2006:

I am not against self-esteem, but I believe that self-esteem is just a meter that reads out the state of the system. It is not an end in itself. When you are doing well in school or work, when you are doing well with the people you love, when you are doing well in play, the meter will register high. When you are doing badly, it will register low. (p. v)

Seligman makes a great point, as it is important to take his words into consideration when looking at self-esteem. Self-esteem and positive psychology may not marry quite yet, so it is important to look at what research tells us about self-esteem before we construct a rationale for it as positive psychology researcher, coach, or practitioner.

Examples of these characteristics are being open to criticism, acknowledging mistakes, being comfortable with giving and receiving compliments, and displaying a harmony between what one says, does, looks, sounds, and moves.

People with high self-esteem are unafraid to show their curiosity, discuss their experiences, ideas, and opportunities. They can also enjoy the humorous aspects of their lives and are comfortable with social or personal assertiveness (Branden, 1992).

Although low self-esteem has received more attention than high self-esteem, the positive psychology movement has brought high self-esteem into the spotlight. We now know more about what high self-esteem looks like and how it can be cultivated.

We know that people with high self-esteem:

Appreciate themselves and other people.
Enjoy growing as a person and finding fulfillment and meaning in their lives.
Are able to dig deep within themselves and be creative.
Make their own decisions and conform to what others tell them to be and do only when they agree.
See the word in realistic terms, accepting other people the way they are while pushing them toward greater confidence and a more positive direction.
Can easily concentrate on solving problems in their lives.
Have loving and respectful relationships.
Know what their values are and live their lives accordingly.
Speak up and tell others their opinions, calmly and kindly, and share their wants and needs with others.
Endeavor to make a constructive difference in other people’s lives (Smith & Harte, n.d.).

We also know that there are some simple ways to tell if you have high self-esteem. For example, you likely have high self-esteem if you:

Act assertively without experiencing any guilt, and feel at ease communicating with others.
Avoid dwelling on the past and focus on the present moment.
Believe you are equal to everyone else, no better and no worse.
Reject the attempts of others to manipulate you.
Recognize and accept a wide range of feelings, both positive and negative, and share them within your healthy relationships.
Enjoy a healthy balance of work, play, and relaxation .
Accept challenges and take risks in order to grow, and learn from your mistakes when you fail.
Handle criticism without taking it personally, with the knowledge that you are learning and growing and that your worth is not dependent on the opinions of others.
Value yourself and communicate well with others, without fear of expressing your likes, dislikes, and feelings.
Value others and accept them as they are without trying to change them (Self Esteem Awareness, n.d.).

Based on these characteristics, we can come up with some good examples of what high self-esteem looks like.

Imagine a high-achieving student who takes a difficult exam and earns a failing grade. If she has high self-esteem, she will likely chalk up her failure to factors like not studying hard enough, a particularly difficult set of questions, or simply having an “off” day. What she doesn’t do is conclude that she must be stupid and that she will probably fail all future tests too.

Having a healthy sense of self-esteem guides her toward accepting reality, thinking critically about why she failed, and problem-solving instead of wallowing in self-pity or giving up.

For a second example, think about a young man out on a first date. He really likes the young woman he is going out with, so he is eager to make a good impression and connect with her. Over the course of their discussion on the date, he learns that she is motivated and driven by completely different values and has very different taste in almost everything.

Instead of going along with her expressed opinions on things, he offers up his own views and isn’t afraid to disagree with her. His high self-esteem makes him stay true to his values and allows him to easily communicate with others, even when they don’t agree. To him, it is more important to behave authentically than to focus on getting his date to like him.

23 Examples of Self-Esteem Issues

Here are 23 examples of issues that can manifest from low self-esteem:

You people please
You’re easily angered or irritated
You feel your opinion isn’t important
You hate you
What you do is never good enough
You’re highly sensitive to others opinions
The world doesn’t feel safe
You doubt every decision
You regularly experience the emotions of sadness and worthlessness
You find it hard keeping relationships
You avoid taking risks or trying new things
You engage in addictive avoidance behaviors
You struggle with confidence
You find it difficult creating boundaries
You give more attention to your weaknesses
You are often unsure of who you are
You feel negative experiences are all consuming
You struggle to say no
You find it difficult asking for your needs to be met
You hold a pessimistic or negative outlook on life
You doubt your abilities or chances of success
You frequently experience negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety or depression
You compare yourself with others and often you come in second best

It can be hard to really wrap your mind around self-esteem and why it is so important. To help you out, we’ve gathered a list of some of the most significant and relevant findings about self-esteem and low self-esteem in particular.

Although some of these facts may make sense to you, you will likely find that at least one or two surprise you—specifically those pertaining to the depth and breadth of low self-esteem in people (and particularly young people and girls).

Adolescent boys with high self-esteem are almost two and a half times more likely to initiate sex than boys with low self-esteem, while girls with high self-esteem are three times more likely to delay sex than girls with low self-esteem (Spencer, Zimet, Aalsma, & Orr, 2002).
Low self-esteem is linked to violence, school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement (Misetich & Delis-Abrams, 2003).
About 44% of girls and 15% of boys in high school are attempting to lose weight (Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, n.d.).
Seven in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).
A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight than how much she actually weighs (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).
Nearly all women (90%) want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
The vast majority (81%) of 10-year old girls are afraid of being fat (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
About one in four college-age women have an eating disorder (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
Only 2% of women think they are beautiful (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
Absent fathers, poverty, and a low-quality home environment have a negative impact on self-esteem (Orth, 2018).

These facts on low self-esteem are alarming and disheartening, but thankfully they don’t represent the whole story. The whole story shows that there are many people with a healthy sense of self-esteem, and they enjoy some great benefits and advantages. For instance, people with healthy self-esteem:

Are less critical of themselves and others.
Are better able to handle stress and avoid the unhealthy side effects of stress.
Are less likely to develop an eating disorder.
Are less likely to feel worthless, guilty, and ashamed .
Are more likely to be assertive about expressing and getting what they want.
Are able to build strong, honest relationships and are more likely to leave unhealthy ones.
Are more confident in their ability to make good decisions.
Are more resilient and able to bounce back when faced with disappointment, failure, and obstacles (Allegiance Health, 2015).

Given the facts on the sad state of self-esteem in society and the positive outcomes associated with high self-esteem, it seems clear that looking into how self-esteem can be built is a worthwhile endeavor.

Luckily, there are many researchers who have tackled this topic. Numerous studies have shown us that it is possible to build self-esteem, especially in children and young people.

How? There are many ways!

Recent research found a correlation between self-esteem and optimism with university students from Brazil (Bastianello, Pacico & Hutz & 2014). One of the most interesting results came from a cross-cultural research on life satisfaction and self-esteem, which was conducted in 31 countries.

They found differences in self-esteem between collective and individualistic cultures with self-esteem being lower in collectivist cultures. Expressing personal emotions, attitudes, and cognitive thoughts are highly associated with self-esteem, collectivist cultures seem to have a drop in self-esteem because of a lack of those characteristics (Diener & Diener 1995).

China, a collectivist culture, found that self-esteem was a significant predictor of life satisfaction (Chen, Cheung, Bond & Leung, 2006). They found that similar to other collectivist cultures, self-esteem also had an effect on resilience with teenagers. Teenagers with low self-esteem had a higher sense of hopelessness and had low resilience (Karatas, 2011).

In more individualistic cultures, teenagers who were taught to depend on their beliefs, behaviors, and felt open to expressing their opinion had more resilience and higher self-esteem (Dumont & Provost, 1999).

School-based programs that pair students with mentors and focus on relationships, building, self-esteem enhancements, goal setting , and academic assistance have been proven to enhance students’ self-esteem, improve relationships with others, reduce depression and bullying behaviors (King, Vidourek, Davis, & McClellan, 2009).

Similarly, elementary school programs that focus on improving self-esteem through short, classroom-based sessions also have a positive impact on students’ self-esteem, as well as reducing problem behaviors and strengthening connections between peers (Park & Park, 2014).

However, the potential to boost your self-esteem and reap the benefits is not limited to students! Adults can get in on this endeavour as well, although the onus will be on them to make the changes necessary.

Self-esteem researcher and expert Dr. John M. Grohol outlined six practical tips on how to increase your sense of self-esteem, which include:

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6 Practical Tips on How to Increase Self-Esteem

1. take a self-esteem inventory to give yourself a baseline..

It can be as simple as writing down 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses. This will help you to begin developing an honest and realistic conception of yourself.

2. Set realistic expectations.

It’s important to set small, reachable goals that are within your power. For example, setting an extremely high expectation or an expectation that someone else will change their behavior is virtually guaranteed to make you feel like a failure, through no fault of your own.

3. Stop being a perfectionist.

Acknowledge both your accomplishments and mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and trying to be will only lead to disappointment. Acknowledging your accomplishments and recognizing your mistakes is the way to keep a positive outlook while learning and growing from your mistakes.

4. Explore yourself.

The importance of knowing yourself and being at peace with who you are cannot be overstated. This can take some trial and error, and you will constantly learn new things about yourself, but it is a journey that should be undertaken with purpose and zeal.

5. Be willing to adjust your self-image.

We all change as we age and grow, and we must keep up with our ever-changing selves if we want to set and achieve meaningful goals.

6. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Comparing ourselves to others is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into, especially today with social media and the ability to project a polished, perfected appearance. The only person you should compare yourself to is you (Grohol, 2011).

The Positivity Blog also offers some helpful tips on enhancing your self-esteem, including:

Say “stop” to your inner critic.
Use healthier motivation habits.
Take a 2-minute self-appreciation break.
Write down 3 things in the evening that you can appreciate about yourself.
Do the right thing.
Replace the perfectionism.
Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way.
Be kinder towards other people .
Try something new.
Stop falling into the comparison trap.
Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people).
Remember the “whys” of high self-esteem (Edberg, 2017).

Another list of specific, practical things you can do to develop and maintain a good sense of self-esteem comes from the Entrepreneur website:

Use distancing pronouns. When you are experiencing stress or negative self-talk, try putting it in more distant terms (e.g., instead of saying “I am feeling ashamed,” try saying “Courtney is feeling ashamed.”). This can help you to see the situation as a challenge rather than a threat.
Remind yourself of your achievements. The best way to overcome imposter syndrome—the belief that, despite all of your accomplishments, you are a failure and a fraud—is to list all of your personal successes. You might be able to explain a couple of them away as a chance, but they can’t all be due to luck!
Move more! This can be as simple as a short walk or as intense as a several-mile run, as quick as striking a “power pose” or as long as a two-hour yoga session; it doesn’t matter exactly what you do, just that you get more in touch with your body and improve both your health and your confidence.
Use the “five-second” rule. No, not the one about food that is dropped on the ground! This five-second rule is about following up good thoughts and inspiring ideas with action. Do something to make that great idea happen within five seconds.
Practice visualizing your success. Close your eyes and take a few minutes to imagine the scenario in which you have reached your goals, using all five senses and paying attention to the details.
Be prepared—for whatever situation you are about to encounter. If you are going into a job interview, make sure you have practiced, know about the company, and have some good questions ready to ask. If you are going on a date, take some time to boost your confidence, dress well, and have a plan A and a plan B (and maybe even a plan C!) to make sure it goes well.
Limit your usage of social media. Spend less time looking at a screen and more time experiencing the world around you.
Meditate. Establish a regular meditation practice to inspect your thoughts, observe them, and separate yourself from them. Cultivating a sense of inner peace will go a long way towards developing healthy self-esteem.
Keep your goals a secret. You don’t need to keep all of your hopes and dreams to yourself, but make sure you save some of your goal striving and success for just you—it can make you more likely to meet them and also more satisfied when you do.
Practice affirmations (like the ones listed later in this piece). Make time to regularly say positive things about yourself and situations in which you often feel uncertain.
Build your confidence through failure. Use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, and seek out failure by trying new things and taking calculated risks (Laurinavicius, 2017).

Now that we have a good idea of how to improve self-esteem , there is an important caveat to the topic: many of the characteristics and factors that we believe result from self-esteem may also influence one’s sense of self-esteem, and vice versa.

For example, although we recommend improving self-esteem to positively impact grades or work performance, success in these areas is at least somewhat dependent on self-esteem as well.

Similarly, those who have a healthy level of self-esteem are more likely to have positive relationships, but those with positive relationships are also more likely to have healthy self-esteem, likely because the relationship works in both directions.

While there is nothing wrong with boosting your self-esteem, keep in mind that in some cases you may be putting the cart before the horse, and commit to developing yourself in several areas rather than just working on enhancing your self-esteem.

Can We Help Boost Self-Esteem Issues with Therapy and Counseling?

Based on research like that described above, we have learned that there are many ways therapy and counseling can help clients to improve their self-esteem.

If done correctly, therapy can be an excellent method of enhancing self-esteem, especially if it’s low to begin with.

Here are some of the ways therapy and counseling can a client’s boost self-esteem:

When a client shares their inner thoughts and feelings with the therapist, and the therapist responds with acceptance and compassion rather than judgment or correction, this can build the foundations of healthy self-esteem for the client.
This continued acceptance and unconditional positive regard encourage the client to re-think some of their assumptions, and come to the conclusion that “Maybe there’s nothing wrong with me after all!”
The therapist can explain that self-esteem is a belief rather than a fact and that beliefs are based on our experiences; this can help the client understand that he could be exactly the same person as he is right now and have high self-esteem instead of low, if he had different experiences that cultivated a sense of high self-esteem instead of low self-esteem.
The therapist can offer the client new experiences upon which to base this new belief about herself, experiences in which the client is “basically acceptable” instead of “basically wrong.” The therapist’s acceptance of the client can act as a model for the client of how she can accept herself.
Most importantly, the therapist can accept the client for who he is and affirm his thoughts and feelings as acceptable rather than criticizing him for them. The therapist does not need to approve of each and every action taken by the client, but showing acceptance and approval of who he is at the deepest level will have an extremely positive impact on his own belief in his worth and value as a person (Gilbertson, 2016).

Following these guidelines will encourage your client to develop a better sense of self-love , self-worth, self-acceptance , and self-esteem, as well as discouraging “needless shame” and learning how to separate herself from her behavior (Gilbertson, 2016).

One of these methods is meditation—yes, you can add yet another benefit of meditation to the list! However, not only can we develop self-esteem through meditation , we also gain some other important benefits.

When we meditate, we cultivate our ability to let go and to keep our thoughts and feelings in perspective. We learn to simply observe instead of actively participate in every little experience that pops into our head. In other words, we are “loosening the grip we have on our sense of self” (Puddicombe, 2015).

While this may sound counterintuitive to developing and maintaining a positive sense of self, it is actually a great way to approach it. Through meditation, we gain the ability to become aware of our inner experiences without over-identifying with them, letting our thoughts pass by without judgment or a strong emotional response.

As meditation expert Andy Puddicombe notes, low self-esteem can be understood as the result of over-identification with the self. When we get overly wrapped up in our sense of self, whether that occurs with a focus on the positive (I’m the BEST) or the negative (I’m the WORST), we place too much importance on it. We may even get obsessive about the self, going over every little word, thought, or feeling that enters our mind.

A regular meditation practice can boost your self-esteem by helping you to let go of your preoccupation with your self, freeing you from being controlled by the thoughts and feelings your self-experiences.

When you have the ability to step back and observe a disturbing or self-deprecating thought, it suddenly doesn’t have as much power over you as it used to; this deidentification with the negative thoughts you have about yourself results in less negative talk over time and freedom from your overly critical inner voice (Puddicombe, 2015).

Self-esteem is the topic of many a psychological scale and assessment, and many of them are valid, reliable, and very popular among researchers; however, these assessments are not perfect. There are a few problems and considerations you should take into account if you want to measure self-esteem, including:

Lack of consensus on the definition (Demo, 1985).
Overall gender differences in self-esteem (Bingham, 1983).
Too many instruments for assessing self-esteem, and low correlations between them (Demo, 1985).
The unexplained variance between self-reports and inferred measures such as ratings by others (Demo, 1985).

Although these issues are certainly not unique to the measurement of self-esteem, one should approach the assessment of self-esteem with multiple measurement methods in hand, with the appropriate level of caution, or both.

Still, even though there are various issues with the measurement of self-esteem, avoiding the measurement is not an option! If you are looking to measure self-esteem and worried about finding a validated scale, look no further than one of the foundations of self-esteem research: Rosenberg’s scale.

Measuring Self-Esteem with the Rosenberg Scale

The most common scale of self-esteem is Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (also called the RSE and sometimes the SES). This scale was developed by Rosenberg and presented in his 1965 book Society and the Adolescent Self-Image.

It contains 10 items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). Some of the items are reverse-scored, and the total score can be calculated by summing up the total points for an overall measure of self-esteem (although it can also be scored in a different, more complex manner—see page 61 of this PDF for instructions).

The 10 items are:

1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. 2. At times I think I am no good at all. 3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities. 4. I am able to do things as well as most other people. 5. I feel I do not have much to be proud of. 6. I certainly feel useless at times. 7. I feel that I’m a person of worth. 8. I wish I could have more respect for myself. 9. All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure. 10. I take a positive attitude toward myself.

As you likely figured out already, items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 are reverse-scored, while the other items are scored normally. This creates a single score of between 10 and 40 points, with lower scores indicating higher self-esteem. Put another way, higher scores indicate a strong sense of low self-esteem.

The scale is considered highly consistent and reliable, and scores correlate highly with other measures of self-esteem and negatively with measures of depression and anxiety. It has been used by thousands of researchers throughout the years and is still in use today, making it one of the most-cited scales ever developed.

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967/1981)

The second most commonly used reliable and valid measure for self-esteem is The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Within this test, 50 items are included to measure the test-takes attitudes towards themselves, by responding to statements with the selection of “like me” or “not like me” (Robinson, Shaver & Wrightsman, 2010).

Initially created to test the self-esteem of children, it was later altered by Ryden (1978) and now two separate versions exist; one for children and one for adults.

Find out more about taking this test here .

It might be quicker to list what factors don’t influence self-esteem than to identify which factors do influence it! As you might expect, self-esteem is a complex construct and there are many factors that contribute to it, whether positively or negatively.

For a quick sample of some of the many factors that are known to influence self-esteem, check out this list:

Commitment to the worker, spouse, and parental role are positively linked to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 1994).
Worker identity meaning is positively related to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
Being married and older is linked to lower self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
Higher education and higher income are related to higher self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
Low socioeconomic status and low self-esteem are related (von Soest, Wagner, Hansen, & Gerstorf, 2018).
Living alone (without a significant other) is linked to low self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
Unemployment and disability contribute to lower self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
A more mature personality and emotional stability are linked to higher self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
Social norms (the importance of friends’ and family members’ opinions) about one’s body and exercise habits are negatively linked to self-esteem, while exercise self-efficacy and self-fulfillment are positively linked to self-esteem (Chang & Suttikun, 2017).

If you’re thinking that an important technological factor is missing, go on to the next section and see if you’re right!

Although you may have found some of the findings on self-esteem covered earlier surprising, you will most likely expect this one: studies suggest that social media usage negatively impacts self-esteem (Friedlander, 2016).

This effect is easy to understand. Humans are social creatures and need interaction with others to stay healthy and happy; however, we also use those around us as comparisons to measure and track our own progress in work, relationships, and life in general. Social media makes these comparisons easier than ever, but they give this tendency to compare a dark twist.

What we see on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is not representative of real life. It is often carefully curated and painstakingly presented to give the best possible impression.

We rarely see the sadness, the failure, and the disappointment that accompanies everyday human life; instead, we see a perfect picture, a timeline full of only good news, and short blurbs about achievements, accomplishments, and happiness .

Although this social comparison with unattainable standards is clearly a bad habit to get into, social media is not necessarily a death knell for your self-esteem. Moderate social media usage complemented by frequent self-reminders that we are often only seeing the very best in others can allow us to use social media posts as inspiration and motivation rather than unhealthy comparison.

You don’t need to give up social media for good in order to maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem—just use it mindfully and keep it in the right perspective!

By viewing self-esteem as a muscle to grow we establish a world of new opportunities. No longer do we have to view ourselves in the same light.

Use these 10 tips to strengthen the attitudes towards yourself:

1. Spend time with people who lift you up 2. Giveback by helping others 3. Celebrate your achievements, no matter the size 4. Do what makes you happy 5. Change what you can – and let go of what you can’t 6. Let go of perfectionism ideals 7. Speak to yourself like a friend 8. Get involved in extra-curricula’s 9. Own your uniqueness 10. Create a positive self-dialogue.

Influential American author, Jack Canfield explains “Daily affirmations are to the mind what exercise is to the body.” (watch this YouTube clip).

Affirmations are a great way to boost your self-esteem and, in turn, your overall wellbeing. There are tons of examples of affirmations you can use for this purpose, including these 17 from Develop Good Habits :

Mistakes are a stepping stone to success. They are the path I must tread to achieve my dreams.
I will continue to learn and grow.
Mistakes are just an apprenticeship to achievement.
I deserve to be happy and successful.
I deserve a good life. I deny any need for suffering and misery.
I am competent, smart, and able.
I am growing and changing for the better.
I love the person I am becoming.
I believe in my skills and abilities.
I have great ideas. I make useful contributions.
I acknowledge my own self-worth; my self-confidence is rising.
I am worthy of all the good things that happen in my life.
I am confident with my life plan and the way things are going.
I deserve the love I am given.
I let go of the negative feelings about myself and accept all that is good.
I will stand by my decisions. They are sound and reasoned.
I have, or can quickly get, all the knowledge I need to succeed.

If none of these leap out and inspire you, you can always create your own! Just keep in mind these three simple rules for creating effective affirmations:

The affirmations should be in the present tense. They must affirm your value and worth right here, right now (e.g., not “I will do better tomorrow” but “I am doing great today.”).
The affirmations should be positively worded. They should not deny or reject anything (i.e., “I am not a loser.”), but make a firm statement (e.g., “I am a worthy person.”).
The affirmations should make you feel good and put you in a positive light. They should not be empty words and they should be relevant to your life (e.g., “I am a world-class skier” is relevant if you ski, but is not a good affirmation if you don’t ski.).

Use these three rules to put together some positive, uplifting, and encouraging affirmations that you can repeat as often as needed—but aim for at least once a day.

There are many, many books available on self-esteem: what it is, what influences it, how it can be developed, and how it can be encouraged in others (particularly children). Here is just a sample of some of the most popular and well-received books on self-esteem :

Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem by Matthew McKay, PhD ( Amazon )
The Self-Esteem Guided Journal by Matthew McKay & C. Sutker ( Amazon )
Ten Days to Self-Esteem by David D. Burns, MD ( Amazon )
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field by Nathanial Branden (if you’re not a big reader, check out the animated book review video below) ( Amazon )
The Self-Esteem Workbook by Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD ( Amazon )
The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Build Confidence and Achieve Your Goals by Lisa M. Schab, LCSW ( Amazon )
Believing in Myself by E Larsen & C Hegarty. ( Amazon )
Being Me: A Kid’s Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem by Wendy L. Moss, PhD ( Amazon )
Healing Your Emotional Self: A Powerful Program to Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem, Quiet Your Inner Critic, and Overcome Your Shame by Beverly Engel ( Amazon )

Plus, here’s a bonus—a free PDF version of Nathaniel Branden’s The Psychology of Self-Esteem: A Revolutionary Approach to Self-Understanding That Launched a New Era in Modern Psychology .

If reading is not a preferred method of learning more, fear not! There are some great YouTube videos and TED Talks on self-esteem. A few of the most popular and most impactful are included here.

Why Thinking You’re Ugly is Bad for You by Meaghan Ramsey

This TED talk is all about the importance of self-esteem and the impact of negative self-esteem, especially on young people and girls. Ramsey notes that low self-esteem impacts physical as well as mental health, the work we do, and our overall finances as we chase the perfect body, the perfect face, or the perfect hair. She ends by outlining the six areas addressed by effective self-esteem programs:

The influence of family, friends, and relationships
The media and celebrity culture
How to handle teasing and bullying
The way we compete and compare ourselves with others
The way we talk about appearance
The foundations of respecting and caring for yourself

Meet Yourself: A User’s Guide to Building Self-Esteem by Niko Everett

Another great TEDx Talk comes from the founder of the Girls for Change organization, Niko Everett. In this talk, she goes over the power of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-love. She highlights the importance of the thoughts we have about ourselves and the impact they have on our self-esteem and shares some techniques to help both children and adults enhance their self-esteem.

Self-Esteem – Understanding & Fixing Low Self-Esteem by Actualized.org

This video from Leo Gura at Actualized.org defines self-esteem, describes the elements of self-esteem, and the factors that influence self-esteem. He shares why self-esteem is important and how it can be developed and enhanced.

How to Build Self Esteem – The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden Animated Book Review by FightMediocrity

This quick, 6-minute video on self-esteem outlines what author Nathaniel Branden sees as the “Six Pillars” of self-esteem:

The practice of living consciously Be aware of your daily activities and relationship with others, insecure reflections, and also personal priorities.
The practice of self-acceptance This includes becoming aware and accepting the best and the worst parts of you and also the disowned parts of ourselves.
The practice of self-responsibility This implies realizing that you are responsible for your choices and actions.
The practice of self-assertiveness Act through your real convictions and feelings as much as possible.
The practice of living purposefully Achieve personal goals that energize your existence.
The practice of personal integrity Don’t compensate your ideals, beliefs, and behaviors for a result that leads to incongruence. When your behaviors are congruent with your ideals, integrity will appear.

The speaker provides a definition and example of each of the six pillars and finishes the video by emphasizing the first two words of each pillar: “The Practice.” These words highlight that the effort applied to building self-esteem is, in fact, the most important factor in developing self-esteem.

Sometimes all you need to get to work on bettering yourself is an inspirational quote. The value of quotes is subjective, so these may not all resonate with you, but hopefully, you will find that at least one or two lights that spark within you!

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

Sharon Salzberg

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Michel de Montaigne

“The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone.”

“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.”

“As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are—what others say is irrelevant.”

“I don’t want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.”

Henry James

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

Louise L. Hay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

Marianne Williamson

“I don’t entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I’m me. God knows, I’m me.”

“To me, self-esteem is not self-love. It is self-acknowledgement, as in recognizing and accepting who you are.”

Amity Gaige

“Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.”

Louise Hart

“Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable. Lovable means I feel people want to be with me. They invite me to parties; they affirm I have the qualities necessary to be included. Feeling capable is knowing that I can produce a result. It’s knowing I can handle anything that life hands me.”

Jack Canfield

“You can’t let someone else lower your self-esteem, because that’s what it is—self-esteem. You need to first love yourself before you have anybody else love you.”

Winnie Harlow

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

“Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters.” Dan Coppersmith

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

We hope you enjoyed this opportunity to learn about self-esteem! If you take only one important lesson away from this piece, make sure it’s this one: you absolutely can build your own self-esteem, and you can have a big impact on the self-esteem of those you love.

Self-esteem is not a panacea—it will not fix all of your problems or help you sail smoothly through a life free of struggle and suffering—but it will help you find the courage to try new things, build the resilience to bounce back from failure, and make you more susceptible to success.

It is something we have to continually work towards, but it’s absolutely achievable.

Stay committed.

Keep aware of your internal thoughts and external surroundings. Keep focused on your personal goals and all that is possible when self-doubt isn’t holding you back.

What are your thoughts on self-esteem in psychology? Should we be encouraging it more? Less? Is there an “ideal amount” of self-esteem? We’d love to hear from you! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

You can read more about self-esteem worksheets and exercises for adults and teens here .

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .

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Interesting, and clear and quite precise in this definitions…..definitions are the most important.

Extremely good article addressing the prevalence of low self-esteem in Western society and how to overcome it. But did it consider the possibility self-esteem could ever be too high? I am still influenced by my old-school upbringing, where being labeled as “conceited” was a a thing. I was told that’s only an attempt to compensate for low self esteem, along with “egomania” and other disorders, but perhaps related to the driven personalities that have influenced much of history.

Excellent, Elaborative, Enduring and Eloquent ESSAY 🙂 Loved this article, very clear, very informative, very useful and practically implementable if determined to improve the quality of one’s life. THANK YOU is a small word for the author of this article.

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Thanks for sharing it. I’m happy after reading it , please keep continue to enlighten people

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What Is Self-Esteem?

Your Sense of Your Personal Worth or Value

Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin

Theories of Self-Esteem

Healthy self-esteem, low self-esteem, excessive self-esteem.

How to Improve

Self-esteem is your subjective sense of overall personal worth or 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:

Self-confidence
Feelings of security
Sense of belonging
Feeling of competence

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.

Why Self-Esteem Is Important

Self-esteem impacts your decision-making process, your relationships, your emotional health, and your overall well-being. It also influences motivation , 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:

A firm understanding of one's skills
The ability to maintain healthy relationships with others as a result of having a healthy relationship with oneself
Realistic and appropriate personal expectations
An understanding of one's needs and the ability to express those needs

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 on seeing themselves as perfect .

Click Play to Learn More About Self-Esteem

This video has been medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS .

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's hierarchy 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 reach self-actualization .

It is important to note that self-esteem is a concept distinct from self-efficacy , which involves how well you believe you'll handle future actions, performance, or abilities.

Factors That Affect Self-Esteem

There are many factors that can influence self-esteem. Your self-esteem may be impacted by:

Physical abilities
Socioeconomic status
Thought patterns

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.

It is often our experiences that form the basis for overall self-esteem. For example, low self-esteem might be caused by overly critical or negative assessments from family and friends. Those who experience what Carl Rogers referred to as unconditional positive regard will be more likely to have healthy self-esteem.

There are some simple ways to tell if you have healthy self-esteem. You probably have healthy self-esteem if you:

Avoid dwelling on past negative experiences
Believe you are equal to everyone else, no better and no worse
Express your needs
Feel confident
Have a positive outlook on life
Say no when you want to
See your overall strengths and weaknesses and accept them

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 to set appropriate boundaries in relationships and maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and others.

Low self-esteem may manifest in a variety of ways. If you have low self-esteem:

You may believe that others are better than you.
You may find expressing your needs difficult.
You may focus on your weaknesses.
You may frequently experience fear, self-doubt, and worry.
You may have a negative outlook on life and feel a lack of control.
You may have an intense fear of failure.
You may have trouble accepting positive feedback.
You may have trouble saying no and setting boundaries.
You may put other people's needs before your own.
You may struggle with confidence .

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 the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for 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 our National Helpline Database .

Overly high self-esteem is often mislabeled as narcissism , however there are some distinct traits that 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:

May be preoccupied with being perfect
May focus on always being right
May believe they cannot fail
May believe they are more skilled or better than others
May express grandiose ideas
May grossly overestimate their skills and abilities

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 help improve your self-esteem include:

Become more aware of negative thoughts . Learn to identify the distorted thoughts that are impacting your self-worth.
Challenge negative thinking patterns . When you find yourself engaging in negative thinking, try countering those thoughts with more realistic and/or positive ones.
Use positive self-talk . Practice reciting positive affirmations to yourself.
Practice self-compassion . Practice forgiving yourself for past mistakes and move forward by accepting all parts of yourself.

Low self-esteem can contribute to or be a symptom of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression . Consider speaking with a doctor or therapist about available treatment options, which may include psychotherapy (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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Trzesniewski KH, Donnellan MB, Robins RW. Stability of self-esteem across the life span . J Pers Soc Psychol . 2003;84(1):205-220.

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

Cascio CN, O’Donnell MB, Tinney FJ, Lieberman MD, Taylor SE, Stretcher VJ, et. al. Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation . Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience . 2016;11(4):621-629. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv136

Maslow AH. Motivation and Personality . 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row; 1987.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Low Self Esteem: What Does it Mean to Lack Self-Esteem?

Saul McLeod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Self-esteem should be viewed as a continuum and can be high, medium, or low, and it is often quantified as a number in empirical research.

When considering self-esteem, it is important to note that both high and low levels can be emotionally and socially harmful to the individual. Indeed it is thought an optimum level of self-esteem lies in the middle of the continuum. Individuals operating within this range are thought to be more socially dominant within relationships.

Empirical Research

Research has shown key differences between individuals with high and low self-esteem. For example, people with high self-esteem focus on growth and improvement, whereas people with low self-esteem focus on not making mistakes in life.

Low self-esteem has been shown to be correlated with several negative outcomes, such as depression (Silverstone & Salsali, 2003).

Rosenberg and Owen (2001) offer the following description of low self-esteem people based on empirical research. People with low self-esteem are more troubled by failure and tend to exaggerate events as being negative.

For example, they often interpret non critical comments as critical. They are more likely to experience social anxiety and low levels of interpersonal confidence.

This in turn makes social interaction with others difficult as they feel awkward, shy, conspicuous, and unable to adequately express themselves when interacting with others (p. 409). Furthermore, low self-esteem individuals tend to be pessimistic towards people and groups within society.

Research has also shown that low self-esteem has to linked to an increased risk of teenage pregnancy.

Guindon (2002) asked school counsellors to list five characteristics that best describe students with low self-esteem. Over 1000 words were used and the most common are listed below:

Withdrawn/shy/quiet
Underachieving
Negative (attitude)
Socially inept
Angry/hostile
Unmotivated
Dependent/follower
Poor self-image
Non-risk-taker
Lacks self-confidence
Poor communication

Low Self-Esteem in Children

It should be noted that, on average, self-esteem during childhood is found to be relatively high. However, there are individual differences, and some children are unfortunate to experience feelings of low self-esteem.

Low self-esteem in children tends to be related to physical punishment and the withholding of love and affection by parents. Carl Rogers would describe this as conditional positive regard, whereby individuals only receive positive attention from significant others (such as parents) when they act in a certain way. This reinforces to the child that they are only a person of value when they act a certain way (e.g., achieving A grades on a test).

Children with low self-esteem rely on coping strategies that are counterproductive such as bullying, quitting, cheating, avoiding, etc. Although all children will display some of these behaviors at times, low self-esteem is strongly indicated when these behaviors appear with regularity.

Socially children with low self-esteem can be withdrawn or shy and find it difficult to have fun. Although they may have a wide circle of friends, they are more likely to yield to group pressure and more vulnerable to bullying. At school, they avoid trying new things (for fear of failure) and will give up easily.

Low Self-Esteem in Teenagers

Self-esteem continues to decline during adolescence (particularly for girls). Researchers have explained this decline to body image and other problems associated with puberty.

Although boys and girls report similar levels of self-esteem during childhood, a gender gap emerges by adolescence in that adolescent boys have higher self-esteem than adolescent girls (Robins et al., 2002).

Girls with low self-esteem appear to be more vulnerable to perceptions of the ideal body image perpetuated in western media (through methods such as airbrushing models on magazine covers).

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Harter, S. 1993. Causes and Consequences of Low Self-esteem in Children and Adolescents. In Baumeister, R.F. (Ed.) Self-Esteem: The Puzzle of Low Self-regard (pp. 87-116).

Mruk, C. (1995). Self-Esteem: Research, Theory, and Practice . Springer.

Guindon, M. H. (2002). Toward Accountability in the Use of the Self‐Esteem Construct. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80(2) , 204-214.

Robins, R.W., Trzesniewski, K.H., Tracy, J.L., Gosling, S.D., & Potter, J. (2002). Global self-esteem across the lifespan. Psychology and Aging , 17, 423-434.

Rosenberg, M. (1976). Beyond Self-Esteem: The Neglected Issues in Self-concept Research . Paper presented at the annual meetings of the ASA.

Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the Self . Basic Books.

Rosenberg, M., & Owens, T.J. (2001). Low self-esteem people: A collective portrait. In T.J. Owens. S. Stryker, & N. Goodmanm (Eds.), Extending self-esteem theory and research (pp. 400-436). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Silverstone, P. H., & Salsali, M. (2003). Low self-esteem and psychiatric patients: Part I–The relationship between low self-esteem and psychiatric diagnosis. Annals of General Psychiatry, 2(1) , 2.

Viktor, G. (1982). The Self-Concept. Annual Review of Sociology , 8:1–33.

Viktor, G., & Schwalbe, M.L. (1983). Beyond the Looking-glass Self: Social Structure and Efficacy-Based Self-Esteem. Social Psychology Quarterly , 46:77–88.

106 Ideas, Examples, and Topics on Self Esteem

🏆 best research title about self esteem, 💡 interesting self-esteem topics for discussion, 📌 good self-esteem research topics, 🔎 simple & easy research titles about low self-esteem, ❓ research questions about self-esteem.

Self-Esteem and Confidence in the Workplace Secondly, gradual learning and improvement of job skills will help to feel more confident and show management that the employee is ready to learn and develop.
Self Concept and Self Esteem in Interpersonal Communication Low self-esteem is associated with a person’s emotional response to self-perception and social expectation. Low-self esteem is associated with the feeling of failure to meet social expectation.
Instagram Addiction and Self-Esteem in Kuwaiti High School Students Besides, the study will explore the impact of social media and reveal the possible ways to resolve the social media addiction issues affecting the youth.
Self-Esteem and Students’ Health More so, life satisfaction is closely connected with the concept of self-esteem, and mental health also depends on proper development of self-esteem. It is also necessary to remember that a number of factors influence development […]
Self Esteem and Culture in a Learning Environment Reflectively, the conceptual idea of this treatise is an in-depth analysis of the aspects of social environment and objective and their influence on quality of learning, self-evaluation, goal setting, decision making, and inclusive education as […]
Instagram Addiction and Self-Esteem in High School Students To test the relationship between social media Instagram addiction and self-esteem in American high school students, a descriptive survey where students will be enrolled in an online, blinded survey will apply.
Child Neglect Might Affect a Child’s Self-Esteem in Adulthood Three situations in different locations are to be thoroughly discussed to illustrate the issue of the research. Indeed, the observation at the chosen playground seemed to be fruitful because of children of different ages.
Self-Handicapping, Self-Esteem, and Self-Compassion The higher the level of stress tolerance, the more successfully a person copes with anxiety, and, on the contrary, the lower the level, the more challenging it is for one to handle an unusual situation. […]
Promoting Self-Esteem in School-Age Children During the early school-age period, self-esteem concerns the way children accomplish set academic tasks and their performance in extracurricular activities.
The Relationship Between Polygamy and Self-Esteem in Children in Saudi Arabia Family cohesion in polygamous families is crucial for exploring in the context of this study because it directly involves the psychological well-being of children as well as the subsequent development of their self-esteem and adaptation […]
The Role of Self-Esteem in Education Speaking about practice, it is also possible to note the ambiguous nature of schools that promote self-esteeming by constantly saying to children that they can do anything, while teachers manipulate them by means of rewards […]
Psychology. “Self-Esteem” Book by Dr. Matthew McKay Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem is the book which teach people to live in piece with our society and with oneself.
The Increasing of Self-Esteem Importance This is part of a consciousness process in which one goes beyond what comes to be recognized as the illusion of separate selfhood.
The Self Esteem: Scientific Approach In this respect the reliability of the research props up against the analysis of what is known at the time. The thing is that it is really the better predictor of high results compared to […]
Concept of the Self and Self-Esteem Among the most common and widely used ways of self, the approach is self-esteem and self-concept.self-esteem refers to how an individual views himself from an emotional or affective aspect.
Concept Analysis of Loneliness, Depression, Self-esteem The purpose of this direct study was to look at levels of depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and communal support, and the relationships stuck between these variables, in the middle of teenage mothers participating in the New […]
Evaluating the Self-Esteem of the Homeless The mission statement of the program indicates the central role played by the agency to the welfare of the society.”The Doe Fund’s mission is to develop and implement cost-effective, holistic programs that meet the needs […]
Self-Esteem and Rejection: It Is Not Personal Taking things personally is problematic for many reasons, one of which is the bias connected to the perception of a situation.
Striving for Self-Esteem in Business The learning points from these articles are that self-assessment is only possible in the latter stages of business development and not the beginning, all businesses must go through ISO 9000 certification series and excellence models […]
Social Psychology Role: Self-Esteem and Human Development The relation between the concepts and the response is closely analyzed to determine the most important criteria people’s actions can be judged by. A person is stereotyped and the thinking leads to over-generalize towards others.
Mean Self-Esteem Scores for Boys and Girls The aim of this study was to determine if there was any difference in mean self-esteem scores for boys and girls.
Facebook Effects on Our Self-Esteem The title of the article “Facebook envy: how the social network affects our self-esteem” speaks for itself: the author Andrea Shea reflects on the impact that the social media has on its users, and in […]
Counseling Low Self-Esteem and Decision Making John was allowed to go out and meet with his friends, and the aunt was less concerned about the kind of company that he kept.
The Link Between Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy In explaining the dynamics of how self-esteem affects self-efficacy, it is important to note that low sense of self-worth will incapacitate the ability of an employee to succeed in specific situations due to lack of […]
Psychology Issues: Self-Esteem and Violence In my opinion, the argument by Boden, Fergusson, and Horwood is sociological since its main aim is to test the link between our self-esteem and later hostility and violent behavior.
High Self-Esteem Development Towards Self-Image People’s health and appearance have to be satisfactory and correspond to people’s idea of ‘a norm’ as it has been proven that the better a person’s health is the higher self-esteem he/she has.
Effects of Self-Esteem and Gender on Goal Choice The paper contains a discussion about the relationship between self esteem and gender to the type of goals that people make. Therefore, there is a link between high self-esteem and the behavior to make difficult […]
Concept of Self, Self-Esteem, and Behavior The concept of the self According to McLeod self concept is the perception that an individual holds about him or herself.
Women, Alcohol, Self-Concept, and Self-Esteem: A Qualitative Study of the Experience of Person-Centred Counselling This essay discusses the research setting and sample, the selection of the setting and the data collection procedure to be used during the project.
Raising a Child With High Self Esteem A good illustration of this is can be observed early on in babyhood growth of children who act in response and connect themselves to the adults or caregivers who show utmost love and care and […]
Social Networks and Self-Esteem Due to this fact, the main aim of this paper it to determine the impacts that social networks have on people and the role they play in the determination of the self-esteem of an individual.
The Effects of the Media on Creativity and Self-Esteem The controversy surrounding British sprinter Linford Christie and the British tabloid press in the mid nineties illustrates a crucial and heart breaking example of the media’s might in the area of self esteem.
The Connection Between Low Self-Esteem and Abusive Relationships
Adolescence and Impact of Self-Esteem Factors
Building Student Self-Esteem and Feelings of Security
Understanding Teenagers With Low Self-Esteem
The Connection Between Self-Esteem and Income
Bullying and Its Relationship to Self-Esteem
The Correlation Between Self-Esteem and Competition for Grades
Being Healthy Can Help With Self-Esteem and the Brain
Anticipated Regret and Self-Esteem in the Allais Paradox
Linking of Self-Esteem With the Tendency to Engage in Financial Planning
Linking of Alcohol Abuse, Self-Esteem, and Teenage Pregnancy Among Adolescents
Alcoholism and Its Link to Poor Self-Esteem
How Low Self-Esteem Predicts Future Unemployment
Impact of Social Media on One’s Self Esteem
Beauty Pageants Promote Self-Esteem and Confidence
Low and Decreasing Self-Esteem During Adolescence
Using Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem
Authenticity and Its Influence on Psychological Well-Being and Contingent Self-Esteem of Leaders
Womanhood and Failures Through the Burden of Self-Esteem
Understanding Children’s Self-Esteem Development
Boost Your Self-Esteem With Acne Treatment
The Cause and Effects of Low Self-Esteem
Anxiety and Self-Esteem Among Undergraduate Students
The Factors That Affect the Self-Esteem of Women
Why Women Have Lower Self-Esteem
Linking of The Collective Self-Esteem and Social Identity Theory
Self Esteem Among Working and Non Working Woman
Self-Esteem: How It Is Built and Different Influencing Factors
The Connection Between Body Image, Self-Esteem, and the Fashion Industry
The Dark Side: Inflated Self-Esteem Is the Culprit of Negative Results
The Connection Between Low Self-Esteem and Depression in the Elderly
The Differences Between the Self-Esteem of Boys and Girls During Puberty
Discussion About Self-Esteem, It’s Differences and Relation to Sociology
Achieving Increased Self-Esteem Through Adaptive Sports
Building Self-Esteem in Children and Adolescents
The Different Causes and Effects of Low Self-Esteem
Impact of Makeup on the Self-Esteem of Young Girls
The Benefits and Importance of Boosting Self-Esteem in Children
The Adolescent’s Search for Self-Esteem and the Role of Professors in the Search
Social Phobia and Low Self-Esteem as Factors Behind Unhealthy Eating Behavior
How Do Bad Habits Affect People’s Self-Esteem and Self-Worth?
What Are Some Tips and Tools for Building Your Self-Esteem?
Can Positive Self-Esteem Lead to Positive Interactions and Connections with Others?
Does Divorce Cause Low Self-Esteem in Children?
What Is the Relationship Between Self-Reinforcement and Self-Esteem?
Are Media Images Harmful to Young People’s Bodies and Self-Esteem?
Does Yoga Increase Subjective Energy and Self-Esteem?
What Are the Causes and Consequences of Low Self-Esteem?
Is Self-Esteem or Self-Confidence More Important?
What Are the Differences Between Happiness and Self-Esteem?
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What Is the Interrelated Role of Self-Esteem and Interpersonal Stressors in Predicting Adolescent Depression?
Do Social Phobia and Low Self-Esteem Cause Unhealthy Eating Behaviors?
Is There a Relationship Between Adolescent Plastic Surgery and Self-Esteem?
What Is the Correlation Between Self-Esteem and Competition for Grades?
Does Social Media Reduce the Self-Esteem of Young Girls?
What Are the Differences Between Boys’ and Girls’ Self-Esteem During Puberty?
How Does Our Self-Esteem Affect Interpersonal Communication?
Is There a Link Between Low Self-Esteem and Depression?
How Does Self-Esteem Relate to Our Level of Confidence?
Do School Uniform Policies Increase Student Self-Esteem and Improve Learning?
What Factors Contribute to Low Self-Esteem?
Has the Self-Esteem Movement Caused Young People to Overestimate Their True Skills and Disillusioned Many of Them?
Are Self-Esteem and Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships Related?
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Introduction To Self-Esteem

Introduction to Self-Esteem

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Self-esteem refers to the overall sense of self-worth or personal value we attribute to ourselves. It's an internal assessment of how much we value and appreciate ourselves, regardless of external circumstances or others' opinions. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about yourself (for example, "I am competent," "I am worthy") as well as emotional states such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. A healthy level of self-esteem is crucial for overall well-being, influencing decision-making processes, relationships, and the ability to face life's challenges. It forms the foundation of mental and emotional health, enabling us to navigate life with confidence and resilience. Understanding and nurturing our self-esteem can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life.

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Well-being

Self-esteem plays a pivotal role in our overall well-being and mental health, acting as both a protective factor against life's stressors and a facilitator of psychological resilience. Healthy self-esteem contributes to a robust mental state, empowering individuals to approach life with optimism and courage. It is intricately linked to how we manage stress, how we relate to others, and our capacity for happiness and contentment.

Here are some ways self-esteem affects different aspects of life:

Mental Health : A healthy level of self-esteem is associated with lower rates of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. When we value ourselves and have confidence in our abilities, we are less likely to succumb to the cognitive distortions that fuel these conditions. Conversely, low self-esteem can be both a cause and a consequence of mental health challenges. However, professional intervention can assist in addressing these.
Resilience to Stress : Individuals with high self-esteem often exhibit greater resilience in the face of adversity. Individuals with healthy self-esteem possess a sturdy foundation of self-worth. This resilience enables them to recover more quickly from setbacks and maintain a positive outlook on life.
Relationships : Self-esteem affects the quality of our relationships. When we feel good about ourselves, we are more likely to engage in positive interactions and establish healthy boundaries. High self-esteem allows us to feel secure in our relationships, reducing the likelihood of developing dependency or tolerating mistreatment.
Decision-Making and Achievement : Self-belief is crucial for setting and achieving goals. High self-esteem fosters a mindset of growth and possibility, encouraging individuals to pursue ambitions with determination. It enhances our ability to make decisions, face challenges head-on, and seize opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Happiness and Contentment : At its core, self-esteem influences our capacity for happiness. A positive self-image enhances life satisfaction and joy. People with high self-esteem are more likely to engage in activities that bring them happiness and to forge meaningful connections with others.

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In summary, self-esteem is not just about feeling good about yourself; it's a fundamental aspect of mental and emotional health that influences your interaction with the world. Nurturing self-esteem is essential for a balanced, happy life and forms the basis for strong mental health and enduring well-being.

Negative Self-Concept

Conversely, a negative self-concept is deeply ingrained in the way individuals perceive themselves, marked by a persistent feeling of inadequacy and a lack of self-worth. This perception is more than just occasional self-doubt; it is an enduring view of oneself as unworthy, incompetent, and undeserving. Such a self-concept shapes every aspect of life, from how individuals interact with others to how they face challenges and perceive their place in the world.

Characterized by self-criticism and a focus on perceived faults, a negative self-concept influences emotions, behaviors, and decision-making processes. Individuals may find themselves trapped in a cycle of self-sabotage, avoiding opportunities for fear of failure or withdrawing from social situations due to a fear of judgment or rejection. This constant self-scrutiny not only diminishes a person's capacity to enjoy life but also erects barriers to personal growth and fulfillment.

The ripple effects of a negative self-concept extend into mental health, contributing to conditions such as depression and anxiety. The relentless inner critic amplifies feelings of isolation and despair, making it challenging to seek help or engage in positive self-reflection. What's more, this skewed self-perception can strain relationships, as insecurities may manifest in defensive or withdrawn behaviors, further isolating the individual.

Overcoming a negative self-concept requires a conscious effort to acknowledge and challenge these harmful thought patterns. It involves cultivating self-compassion, seeking supportive relationships, and engaging in activities that reinforce a sense of competence and achievement. Transforming self-esteem is a gradual process, but with patience and persistence, it is possible to develop a healthier, more positive self-concept that enhances well-being and fosters a fulfilling life.

Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD, says, "What is the difference between self-image and self-concept? A person’s self-image is based on how they see themselves. Self-concept is a more comprehensive concept involving perceptions, values, feelings, and thoughts about oneself, as described by influential psychologist Carl Rogers."

Improving Self-Esteem

Improving self-esteem is a journey that involves both introspection and action. Here are several strategies to help cultivate healthier self-esteem:

Practice Self-Compassion: Begin by treating yourself with kindness and understanding rather than harsh judgment. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes, and yours do not define you.
Forgive Yourself. Self-compassion involves acknowledging your emotions and forgiving yourself, which can significantly boost your self-esteem.
Set Realistic Goals: Setting and achieving realistic goals can greatly enhance your sense of self-worth. Start with small, achievable objectives and gradually work your way up. Celebrate your successes along the way, no matter how small, to build confidence in your abilities.
Engage in Positive Self-Talk : The dialogue you have with yourself has a profound impact on your self-esteem. Make a conscious effort to replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of your strengths, accomplishments, and qualities.
Surround Yourself with Support : The company you keep can influence how you feel about yourself. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who uplift you and believe in your worth. A strong support system can provide encouragement and a more positive perspective on your self-image.
Engage in Activities You Enjoy : Participating in activities you enjoy and are good at can improve your mood and boost your confidence. Whether it's a hobby, sport, or creative pursuit, engaging in these activities regularly can reinforce your sense of competency and self-worth.
Take Care of Your Physical Health : Physical well-being is closely linked to self-esteem. Regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and adequate sleep can improve your mood, increase your energy levels, and contribute to a more positive self-perception.
Limit Social Media Comparison : Because people often post about the most positive aspects of their lives and celebrities usually post flawless images of themselves, social media presents unrealistic standards. Limiting your exposure to these platforms or approaching them with a critical eye can help reduce feelings of inadequacy and comparison.
Seek Professional Help : If low self-esteem is significantly impacting your life, seeking the guidance of a mental health professional can be a valuable step. Therapy can provide strategies to help you challenge negative thought patterns and build a healthier, more positive self-image.

As Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD, suggests, "Looking to boost your self-esteem? Take time each day to reflect on things you're grateful for. Based on research studies, practicing gratitude offers many health benefits, including improved self-esteem and overall well-being."

Improving self-esteem is not an overnight process, but with persistence and the right strategies, it's possible to cultivate a more positive self-view. By taking steps to appreciate and value yourself, you can build a foundation of self-esteem that supports a fulfilling and resilient life.

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Saudi Med J
v.44(6); 2023 Jun
PMC10284226

The impact of low self-esteem on academic achievement and the behaviors related to it among medical students in Saudi Arabia

Saleh a. alghamdi.

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Alghamdi), College of Medicine, from the College of Medicine (Alahmari,. Alasiri, Alkahtani, Alhudayris, Alhusaini), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, and from Department of Psychiatry (Aljaffer), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed A. Aljaffer

Faisal s. alahmari, ahmed b. alasiri, abdullah h. alkahtani, fadhah s. alhudayris, bassam a. alhusaini, objectives:.

To measure the prevalence of low self-esteem among medical students in Saudi Arabia and determine its impact on their behaviors and academic achievement.

We hypothesized that the level of self-esteem reflected on the student’s academic performance and linked to some of their behaviors. A cross-sectional study was carried out among students of the medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed electronically using social media platforms, socio-demographic data, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, and a questionnaire about self-esteem-related behaviors.

Of 1099 participants (55.9% females and 50% males), 24.1% showed low self-esteem. Independent significant predictors of low self-esteem were female gender and diagnosis with mental illness. Increasing GPA was associated with better self-esteem. Participating in students’ study groups and attending self-development programs were estimated to be the protective factors against low self-esteem.

Conclusion:

One-quarter of medical students are assumed to have low self-esteem. Improved GPA ratings positively influence self-esteem, while attending students’ study groups and self-development programs were identified as protective factors for low self-esteem. Further studies are needed to shed more light on this important topic.

S elf-esteem is an individual’s sense of satisfaction with oneself and reflects the relationship between personal self-image and ideal self-image. 1 Self-esteem is a measure of self-assessment because it is considered the most important psychological formula. 2 Self-esteem has 2 types, specific and global. Global self-esteem is more relevant to the psychological aspect, while specific self-esteem (academic) is more relevant to behavior and is a tool for evaluating academic achievements. 3

Behaviors are defined as external changes or activities of living organisms that are functionally mediated by other external phenomena in the present moment. 4 Behaviors must be considered because people might have specific behaviors toward an object as a whole and toward specific facets of that object. Behaviors have both directions (such as positive or negative orientation) and intensity, as shown by the fact that behaviors are affected. 3

High self-esteem is the belief that one is worthy of privilege and admiration by others for being unique and special and possessing fantasies of brilliance and beauty. It is considered a heterogeneous category. High self-esteem is not entirely responsible for academic successes and achievements but rather is a result of these or a partial reason for those successes and helps to facilitate perseverance and diligence after failure. 5

Low self-esteem is the contradiction between the competitive aspects of the self, such as between the real and ideal selves. Also, between the self as seen by oneself and as seen by significant others, a person monitors and evaluates one’s behaviors and competencies to determine self-efficacy. This condition leads to psychosocial weakness and lack of self-confidence, creating problems and risky behaviors. 6 Low self-esteem is considered one of the risk factors for depression and anxiety, eating disorders, violence and educational exclusion, and drug abuse. 7 , 6

A student’s academic performance is measured by grade point average (GPA), high school graduation rate, annual standardized tests, and college entrance exams. A person’s achievement in school, college, or university indicates how well they performed in activities meant to help them achieve certain goals. School systems mostly define cognitive goals across multiple subject areas (such as critical thinking) or include the acquisition of knowledge and understanding in a specific intellectual domain (such as: numeracy, literacy, science, and history). 8

Many studies have shown the association between self-esteem and students’ academic achievement and how self-esteem is affected. One factor that can negatively impact self-esteem is the experience of imposter syndrome, characterized by feelings of inadequacy and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of competence. 9 Locally, a study was carried out at King Saud University (KSU) to determine the prevalence of self-esteem and imposter syndrome among KSU medical students. 9 The study revealed prevalent low self-esteem and positive imposter syndrome in 23.6% and 42.1% of participants, respectively. 9 These findings suggest that imposter syndrome may be a significant barrier to academic success for a significant proportion of medical students at KSU, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue in educational settings. 9

A recent cross-sectional study carried out at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in 2019 found that there is a weak relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement. 10 Another cross-sectional study carried out at Taif University and King Abdulaziz University determined that self-esteem showed a low but significant correlation with academic performance. 11

Globally, a study at Jimma University, Ethiopia, assessed the prevalence and associated factors of low self-esteem (LSE) and mental distress among medical students and showed that students with poor academic achievement were also more likely to have LSE. 12 Moreover, students’ self-esteem, self-efficacy, and academic performance were also assessed among students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 13 and found that academic achievement was associated with high academic self-efficacy. Another study in Pakistan in 2015 showed a significant relationship between self-esteem and academic performance. 13 , 14

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2022 to December 2022 among Saudi and non-Saudi medical students in 5 regions (North, South, East, West, and Central) of Saudi Arabia. Medical students who attended a government and private medical college in Saudi Arabia were recruited. Inclusion criteria included any current medical student, male or female, who studies in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, participants who were non-medical or medical students not studying in Saudi Arabia were excluded.

The sample size was estimated using the sample size formula, assuming that 50% would be the response distribution, 95% confidence level, and 5% margin of error, resulting in a sample size of 379. A convenience sampling technique was used. A self-administered questionnaire (online survey) including Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale questionnaires and behavior related to low self-esteem questionnaire was distributed electronically using social media platforms. Participation in this study was voluntary; each participant was notified to consent and was invited to participate. Participants did not earn a material income due to their participation as it would adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, 2013.

The questionnaire was divided into 3 categories. The first part inquired regarding the participant’s demographic data, the second part of information on academic performance (GPA) and self-esteem, and the last part of the questionnaire was regarding the participant’s behaviors dealing with low self-esteem. The self-esteem of the medical students and their related behaviors was assessed by using Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale 15 (10 items) and behavior related to low self-esteem questionnaire (26 items). Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale questionnaire contains a 4-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” coded as 0 to “strongly agree” coded as 3, while the behavior questionnaire has a category ranging from “strongly disagree” coded with 1 to “strongly agree” coded with 4.

A pilot study was carried out among 39 participants to determine the internal consistency of the study questionnaires. The Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale with ten items has a reliability result of 0.777 Cronbach Alpha (77.7%), indicating a generally good internal consistency. Compared with the behavior towards low self-esteem with 26 items, the reliability result was 0.905 Cronbach Alpha (90.5%), indicating excellent internal consistency. The overall reliability test was 0.841 Cronbach Alpha (84.1%), suggesting good internal consistency. Thus, the questionnaires were valid to be used in this study.

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board approval at the Medical Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Participation in this study is completely voluntary; each participant is notified to consent and is invited to participate. Participants do not earn a material income due to their participation. Review Board at Al-Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (Research Project No. 201/2022). All ethical considerations were taken into account. Informed consent was obtained.

Statistical analysis

The data were gathered, entered, and analyzed by the Statistical Packages for Software Sciences version 26 (IBMCorp, Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics were calculated and summarized as numbers, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The differences in the level of self-esteem and behavior were analyzed using an independent sample t-test. A Chi-square test was also used to determine the relationship between the level of self-esteem and the socio-demographic characteristics of the medical students. Significant results were then tested in a multivariate regression model to determine the significant factor associated with low self-esteem with a corresponding odds ratio and a 95% confidence interval. A p -value of <0.05 (2-sided) was used to indicate statistical significance.

In total, 1,099 medical students were recruited. Half of them (50%) were aged between 21 to 23 years. Around 55.9% were females and mostly single (92.2%). Nearly all (89.4%) were studying in a government medical institution. Further, 33.4% were living in the Central region. Approximately 23.6% were in the 5th year of their studies, with 28.5% having GPA ratings between 4 to 4.49. The majority (73.2%) had a personal monthly income of 1,000 to 2,000 SAR. Participants who were living with family constituted 84.2%. The prevalence of smoking participants was 20.3%, while those with associated chronic diseases were 12.3%. In addition, the proportion of medical students who had been diagnosed with mental illness was 18.2%, and of them, the most commonly known mental illness was depression (46.5%) ( Table 1 ).

- Socio-demographic characteristics of the medical students (N=1099).

Study variables	n (%)

18 – 20 years	187 (17.0)
21 – 23 years	549 (50.0)
24 – 26 years	311 (28.3)
>26 years	52 (04.7)

Male	485 (44.1)
Female	614 (55.9)

Single	1013 (92.2)
Married	68 (06.2)
Divorced	16 (01.5)
Widowed	02 (0.2)

Government medical college	983 (89.4)
Private medical college	116 (10.6)

Central Region	367 (33.4)
Northern Region	227 (20.7)
Southern Region	229 (20.8)
Eastern Region	140 (12.7)
Western Region	136 (12.4)

1st year	119 (10.8)
2nd year	131 (11.9)
3rd year	209 (19.0)
4th year	214 (19.5)
5th year	259 (23.6)
Intern	167 (15.2)

4.75–5	230 (20.9)
4.5–4.74	229 (20.8)
4–4.49	313 (28.5)
3–3.99	278 (25.3)
2.99 or less	49 (04.5)

1000-2000	805 (73.2)
2000-3000	91 (08.3)
3000-4000	37 (03.4)
4000-5000	26 (02.4)
>5000	140 (12.7)

Yes	366 (33.3)
No	733 (66.7)

Family support	301 (82.2)
Part-time job	38 (10.4)
University bonus	14 (03.8)
Others	13 (03.6)

With my family	925 (84.2)
With a colleague	63 (05.7)
I live alone	111 (10.1)

Yes	223 (20.3)
No	876 (79.7)

Yes	135 (12.3)
No	964 (87.7)

Yes	200 (18.2)
No	899 (81.8)

Psychosis	22 (11.0)
Bipolar	17 (08.5)
Depression	93 (46.5)
Anxiety	55 (27.5)
Phobia	02 (01.0)
Others	11 (05.5)

In the assessment of Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, it was observed that the rating was higher in the statement “I feel that I have a number of good qualities” (mean score: 2.27), followed by “I am able to do things as well as most other people” (mean score: 2.20) and “I feel that I’m a person of worth” (mean score: 2.03). The total mean score for self-esteem was 17.9 (SD 5.38), with 67.2% classified as having normal self-esteem, 8.7% having high, and 24.1% having low self-esteem ( Table 2 ).

- Assessment of Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale questionnaire (n=1099).

Self-esteem Statement	Mean±SD
1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself
2. At times I think I am no good at all
3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities
4. I am able to do things as well as most other people
5. I feel I do not have much to be proud of
6. I certainly feel useless at times
7. I feel that I’m a person of worth
8. I wish I could have more respect for myself
9. All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure
10. I take a positive attitude toward myself
Total self-esteem score	17.9 ± 5.38

Low (<15 points)	265 (24.1%)
Normal (15-25 points)	738 (67.2%)
High (>25 points)	96 (08.7%)

Response has a range from “strongly disagree” coded with 0 to “strongly agree” coded with 3. † Score was reverse coded.

A low self-esteem level was more associated with a higher score in behaviors related to low self-esteem, such as self-injury behaviors ( p <0.001), suicidal behaviors ( p <0.001), procrastination ( p <0.001), avoiding certain situations or people ( p <0.001), quitting tasks partially ( p <0.001), rushing through work ( p <0.001), displaying an “I do not care” attitude ( p <0.001), trying to please others all the time ( p <0.001), acting angrily if mistakes are made ( p <0.001), being unable to say no ( p <0.001), frequently putting oneself down while speaking ( p <0.001), and attending self-development programs ( p <0.001) ( Table 3 ).

- Low self-esteem’s related behaviors (N=1099).

Behavior statements	Level of self-esteem
	Low	Normal/High	-value
	Mean±SD
Seeking professional (medical) help	2.63±0.88	2.68±0.92	0.511
Attaching to students’ study groups	2.37±0.88	2.69±0.89	<0.001
Attending self-development programs	2.26±0.91	2.67±0.93	<0.001
Using illicit drugs (alcohol, amphetamine, and so on)	1.49±0.86	1.47±0.85	0.719
Self-medication to increase my self-esteem	2.03±1.01	1.99±1.03	0.579
Self-injury behaviors	1.82±0.96	1.57±0.87	<0.001
Suicidal behaviors	1.86±0.99	1.50±0.86	<0.001
Procrastination	3.03±1.07	2.42±1.06	<0.001
Avoiding certain situations or people	3.27±0.88	2.87±0.86	<0.001
Quitting tasks partially	2.94±0.87	2.50±0.87	<0.001
Rushing through work	2.85±0.89	2.56±0.82	<0.001
Displaying an “I don’t care” attitude	2.98±0.94	2.59±0.93	<0.001
Trying to please others all the time	2.72±1.00	2.35±0.95	<0.001
Working excessively hard at everything I do	2.72±0.97	2.83±0.85	0.079
Trying to be perfect all of the time	3.01±0.91	2.92±0.87	0.167
Excessive competitiveness	2.57±0.99	2.57±0.90	0.999
Acting angrily if mistakes are made	2.94±0.94	2.57±0.88	<0.001
Being unable to say no	2.83±0.93	2.49±0.91	<0.001
Frequently putting yourself down when you speak	2.96±0.85	2.26±0.89	<0.001
Dismissing your thoughts as unimportant to others	3.01±0.81	2.33±0.89	<0.001
Avoiding giving your opinion or expressing your feelings	3.000.90	2.43±0.89	<0.001
Seeking sympathy from others	2.17±0.96	2.03±0.91	0.027
Getting other people to do things for you because you believe you aren’t capable	2.20±0.99	1.89±0.92	<0.001
Acting in an aggressive way (such as shouting, and so on)	2.34±0.96	2.03±0.95	<0.001
Blame others for the negative way you feel about yourself	2.28±0.99	2.00±0.93	<0.001
Being defensive when others give you constructive criticism or feedback	2.55±0.93	2.25±0.91	<0.001

Response has a range from “strongly disagree” coded with 1 to “strongly agree” coded with 4. * P -value has been calculated using an independent sample t-test. **Significant at p <0.05 level.

When measuring the relationship between the level of self-esteem and the socio-demographic characteristics of the medical students, it was found that the prevalence of low self-esteem was significantly more common among the female gender ( p <0.001), GPA ratings of 4 to 4.49 ( p =0.039) and diagnosed with mental illness ( p <0.001) ( Table 4 ).

- Association between the level of self-esteem and the socio-demographic characteristics of the medical students (N=1099).

Factor	Level of self-esteem		-value
Factor	Low (n=265)	Normal/High (n=834)	-value

≤23 years	178 (67.2)	558 (66.9)	0.937
>23 years	87 (32.8)	276 (33.1)	0.937

Male	88 (33.2)	397 (47.6)	<0.001
Female	177 (66.8)	437 (52.4)	<0.001

Government medical college	237 (89.4)	746 (89.4)	0.995
Private medical college	28 (10.6)	88 (10.6)	0.995

Central Region	89 (33.6)	278 (33.3)	0.783
Northern Region	52 (19.6)	175 (21.0)
Southern Region	51 (19.2)	178 (21.3)
Eastern Region	39 (14.7)	101 (12.1)
Western Region	34 (12.8)	102 (12.2)

Junior students	109 (41.1)	350 (42.0)	0.810
Senior students	156 (58.9)	484 (58.0)	0.810

5-4.75	43 (16.2)	187 (22.4)	0.039
4.74-4.5	53 (20.0)	176 (21.1)
4.49-4	80 (30.2)	233 (27.9)
3.99-3	70 (26.4)	208 (24.9)
2.99 or less	19 (07.2)	30 (03.6)

≤2000	198 (74.7)	607 (72.8)	0.535
>2000	67 (25.3)	227 (27.2)	0.535

Yes	78 (29.4)	288 (34.5)	0.125
No	187 (70.6)	546 (65.5)	0.125

With my family	19 (82.6)	706 (84.7)	0.344
With a colleague	20 (07.5)	43 (05.2)
I live Alone	26 (09.8)	85 (10.2)

Yes	52 (19.6)	171 (20.5)	0.756
No	213 (80.4)	663 (79.5)	0.756

Yes	38 (14.3)	97 (11.6)	0.242
No	227 (85.7)	737 (88.4)	0.242

Yes	75 (28.3)	125 (15.0)	<0.001
No	190 (71.7)	709 (85.0)	<0.001

§ P -value has been calculated using Chi-square test, **significant at p <0.05 level.

In a multivariate regression model, it was observed that compared to males, the chance of having low self-esteem among females was predicted to increase by at least 1.8 times higher (AOR=1.851; 95% CI=1.365 – 2.511; p <0.001). Also, compared to medical students without the diagnosis of mental illness, the chance of having low self-esteem among those diagnosed with mental illness was predicted to increase by at least 1.9 fold higher (AOR=1.971; 95% CI=1.408–2.759; p <0.001). Further, compared to medical students with the lowest GPA ratings (GPA 2.99 or less), the chance of low esteem among students with GPA ratings between 3 to 3.99 was estimated to decrease by at least 70% (AOR=0.308; 95% CI=0.155 – 0.612; p =0.001), and by almost 40% in GPA ratings of 4 to 4.99 (AOR=0.574; 95% CI=0.365 – 0.894; p =0.014), but it did not reach statistical significance in GPA ratings between 4.75 to 5 ( p =0.173) ( Table 5 ).

- Multivariate regression analysis to determine the independent significant factor associated with low self-esteem (N=1099).

Factor	AOR	95% CI	-value

Male	Ref
Female	1.851	1.365 – 2.511	<0.001

5-4.75	0.726	0.458 – 1.151	0.173
4.74-4.5	0.614	0.401 – 0.941	0.025
4.49-4	0.574	0.368 – 0.894	0.014
3.99-3	0.308	0.155 – 0.612	0.001
2.99 or less	Ref

Yes	1.971	1.408 – 2.759	<0.001
No	Ref

AOR:adjusted odds ratio, CI: confidence interval. **Significant at p <0.05 level.

This study evaluated the self-esteem of medical students, the behaviors related to it, and how academic performance affects self-esteem. The findings of this study revealed that nearly one-fourth (24.1%) of the medical students demonstrated low self-esteem, 67.2% were normal, and only 8.7% had high self-esteem; this was consistent with the study of Alsaleem et al. 9 According to their report, low self-esteem was found in 23.6% of the medical students, and this has been experienced mainly by students who were in the early years of the academic year levels, specifically females; this has been concurred by Gidi et al 12 wherein 19% of the medical students exhibited low self-esteem and 19.7% were distressed. Self-esteem would have been affected by medical students’ mental health conditions, which could lead to Low self-esteem. Thus, early intervention is imperative for those showing signs of low self-esteem. Coping strategies to boost student morale could be one of the most essential steps to improving learners’ self-esteem. Another study showed that students are at the edge of self-criticism and low self-esteem, to the extent that they do not even feel themselves capable of undertaking tasks within their abilities. 16 Furthermore, another study highlighted those medical students had high levels of distress for multiple reasons, and they exhibited low self-esteem. It was also found that nearly one out of 2 medical students suffered from burnout issues. 17 Another study carried out in China included 30,817 Chinese medical students and found that these medical students had a relatively low prevalence of eating disorders but a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. 18

Female medical students who had been diagnosed with mental illness were the significant recipients who suffered from low self-esteem. Consistent with the present findings, a study carried out among health science students in Riyadh 10 reported that any students with an underlying disease were predicted to exhibit signs of low self-esteem and had more negative feelings than normal students. Another study carried out in Pakistan 14 revealed a significant difference in self-esteem scores between males and females, suggesting that male university students demonstrated higher self-esteem scores than female university students. In contrast, a study on Chinese medical students does not show significant differences among the genders. 18

A different study found that students who perform well academically may not necessarily have high subjective well-being levels. In fact, the study suggests that there may even be cases where high-achieving students have low levels of subjective well-being. 19 More investigations are warranted to establish the level of self-esteem in males and females with underlying diseases.

Several papers concluded that low self-esteem correlated to poor academic performance. For instance, Alyami et al 11 documented that there was a weak but significant correlation between self-esteem and academic performance along with self-efficacy. Studies conducted by Afari et al 13 and Correlating 20 found a positive association between global self-esteem and academic self-efficacy, while academic achievement might positively influence academic self-efficacy. Another study published by Hyseni Duraku and Hoxha 21 noted that a higher level of self-esteem was influenced by a student’s success. This is also true for the current study, as it was found that medical students’ increased academic GPA ratings were correlated with better self-esteem. However, a study published by Baumeister et al 5 clarified that the moderate links between school performance and self-esteem do not suggest that high self-esteem was due to good performance at school; instead, it is just partly the result of good school performance. Further, it was indicated that attempts to lift students’ self-esteem did not indicate increasing academic performance and might sometimes be the opposite. Similarly, another study revealed that increased academic performance was moderately and significantly associated with student engagement. 22

When measuring the possible behaviors related to self-esteem, it was also discovered that students who frequently attended a study group and self-development programs might have better self-esteem than the other students. In a study published by Mete, 24 among secondary-level science students, it was observed that positive coping and projective coping strategies were seen among students, while students shown to have non-coping strategies were predicted to impact self-efficacy negatively. However, the fear of losing one’s self-esteem negatively affected self-efficacy. In a review article published by Baumeister et al 5 they discovered that people with high self-esteem asserted themselves as more likable, more attractive, could have better relationships, and had a higher impression on others. However, objective measures contradicted these beliefs. Another study by Li J et al 24 showed that self-esteem is mediated by social support and improves emotional exhaustion and academic achievement.

Students in medical schools might be prone to adversities that affect their mental condition. Therefore, issues that affect their mental health should be discussed and addressed. Strategies to improve students’ self-esteem are vital in educational systems. Hence, the role of mental health services is imperative.

Although our study addresses an important topic that needs to be adequately studied in Saudi Arabia, it has certain limitations. The researchers developed the behavioral questionnaire; hence, it was not a well-established, standardized questionnaire. Additionally, the online questionnaire distribution usually bears a higher degree of selection bias. Moreover, generalizability was limited because the findings based on a survey included medical students residing exclusively in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the study tried to reveal the behaviors linked to low self-esteem among medical students without addressing the explanation of that behaviors. To overcome the following limitations, we recommend generating a standardized questionnaire that can be generalized to any country or center. Moreover, if additional studies are to be conducted regarding this topic, reporting the explanation of that behaviors can be beneficial to build more research on it.

In conclusion, one out of 4 medical students was assumed to have low self-esteem. Female medical students who had been diagnosed with mental illness were found to demonstrate low self-esteem more than others. Further, the improved GPA ratings positively influenced self-esteem, while positive behavior towards attending students’ study groups and self-developmental programs were identified as protective factors for low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is negatively affected by the mental condition of medical students. Hence, improved behavior among this group of students is vital to boost self-esteem in addition to periodic counseling. More research is needed to shed more light on the self-esteem of medical students, their behavior on it, and how it correlates to academic performance.

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Claire Black; ( moc.liamg@kcalbennaerialc ) and Sofia fields ( https://www.sofiafields.com ) for the English language editing.

Disclosure. Authors have no conflict of interests, and the work was not supported or funded by any drug company.

Students Experiencing Low Self-esteem or Low Perceptions of Competence

This information is designed to help teachers respond to students who may need support. It is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool or to replace the use of formal assessments employed by mental health professionals. Additionally, it is important to consider the context of the situation, individual differences, and cultural and linguistic considerations.

Teachers are an important part of establishing and maintaining healthy environments for children to learn and grow. Teachers can help students who are not confident in themselves or who are afraid to make a mistake to build their feelings of confidence. Teachers can also play an important role in referring students experiencing low self-esteem to professionals in the building who can be of assistance.

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What is Self-esteem?

Self-esteem is the degree to which students feel satisfied with themselves and feel valuable and worthy of respect.

Perceived competence is a belief that one has skills in a particular area (e.g., math, spelling, peer relationships). Self-esteem and perceived competence are necessary for students to take risks in their learning and to bounce back after failure or adversity. Low self-esteem or lack of confidence leaves students doubting their ability to succeed, making them hesitant to engage in learning or take appropriate academic growth risks. Self-esteem is often built and buttressed through estimable acts and achievements—even small ones.

How Might Low Self-esteem Be Expressed by Students in School?

Students may make self-disparaging comments such as, “I’m stupid,” “I can’t do this,” “I always do everything wrong,” “No one likes me,” etc.

Students with low self-esteem may take blame for things that are not their fault or are out of their control, or they may try to control other children’s behavior to alleviate a sense of helplessness.

Students may react to adversity by giving up, avoiding risks, or disengaging from tasks, or turning off their cameras during virtual learning (VL).

Students may be reluctant to try new things or be unable to tolerate typical levels of frustration. They also may pretend they don’t care, may clown around, or may be aggressive to cover up their lack of confidence, or log off from the virtual learning environment (VLE) abruptly.

Students may do very well for a period of time, then suddenly underperform.

Students may be afraid their success was a fluke or be worried that expectations from others are suddenly too high.

What Can Teachers Do?

Do : Give specific and genuine positive feedback on effort rather than outcome, when warranted. For example, “You made a lot of progress on that project in just an hour,” or, “The topic sentence of that paragraph is really strong.”

Don’t praise excessively or vaguely or provide generic praise like, “Good job.”

Do : Point out concrete signs of progress, even if they are small.

Don’t give repeated, general pep talks that include, “You can do it!”

Do : Showcase accomplishments by displaying students’ work in class or calling parents to tell them how proud you are of the students’ efforts.

Don’t focus solely on suboptimal behaviors or performance.

Do : Engage students in a conversation about their interests, and point out students’ skills privately.

Don’t address the behavior publicly or assume a student is just like other students.

Do : Engage the students’ interests by setting them up for success: give them specific tasks at which they will excel, such as caring for the class pet or running things to the front office. In a VLE, this may look like choosing music for the virtual classroom, posting a math question on the discussion board, or reflecting on their strengths on a particular assignment with a peer in a breakout.

Don't ignore or avoid the students or the issues they’re facing or assume they aren’t up to a task.

Do : Be mindful of ensuring equity in terms of acknowledging and providing positive feedback to all students.

Don't continually affirm certain/the same students or compare achievements between students.

Do : Remember that students transitioning from the classroom to VLE, or vice versa, may experience different levels of success depending on the environment.

Don't base feedback upon historical achievements, expectations, or successes; the transition between learning environments impacts many students.

When to Act

If the student continues to exhibit a significant shift in behavior occurring over several weeks, or the frequency or severity increases, seek extra support from administration or school mental health professionals.
If the student displays similar patterns of behavior with other subject teachers.
If you have concerns about the student engaging in self-harming behaviors.

Refer Students to Further Help if Needed

Be sure to follow relevant school and district policies regarding students experiencing inattention and distractibility in school.
Contact school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health or relevant personnel.
American Psychological Association Topics
Using Praise to Enhance Student Resilience and Learning Outcomes
Maximizing children’s resilience
Building Self-Esteem
Being Me: A Kid’s Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem
I Want Your Moo: A Story for Children About Self-Esteem, Second Edition
Institute of Education Sciences Research-Based Strategies for Effective Remote Learning

Related Mental Health Primers

Stress , sadness , bullying

Empirical Research

Beghetto, R. A. (2007). Factors associated with middle and secondary students' perceived science competence. Journal of Research in Science Teaching: The Official Journal of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, 44 (6), 800-814.

Guay, F., Boggiano, A.K., & Vallerand, R.J. (2001). Autonomy support, intrinsic motivation, and perceived competence: Conceptual and empirical linkages. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27 , 643-650.

Kamins, M. & Dweck, C.S. (1999). Person vs. process praise and criticism: Implications for contingent self-worth and coping. Developmental Psychology , 35, 835-847.

Pesu, L., Viljaranta, J., & Aunola, K. (2016). The role of parents’ and teachers’ beliefs in children’s self-concept development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 44, 63-71.

Zentall, S. R., & Morris, B. J. (2010). "Good job, you're so smart": The effects of inconsistency of praise type on young children's motivation. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 107 (2), 155-163.

The Mental Health Primers are developed by the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education . This resource was updated in October 2021 with support from cooperative agreement NU87PS004366 funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views or endorsement of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.

These primers by the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE) help teachers identify behaviors in the classroom that are symptomatic of mental health and other psychological issues.

Teaching and Learning Evidence-based Resources
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
Gifted and Talented Development
APA Pre-K to 12 Education Advocacy

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Self-esteem and university students: Findings from a multi-center study

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N Ketata, H Ben Ayed, M Baklouti, M Trigui, S Yaich, M Abdelmoula, H Feki, J Damak, Self-esteem and university students: Findings from a multi-center study, European Journal of Public Health , Volume 31, Issue Supplement_3, October 2021, ckab165.593, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckab165.593

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Self-esteem refers to the degree to which a person esteem himself or herself. Accordingly, low self-esteem has a remarkable impact on mental health that may influence successful development and life outcomes, especially for young people. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors predisposing to low self-esteem among university students (US) in Southern Tunisia.

A cross-sectional study performing a stratified randomized sample of 8 universities was conducted in Sfax, Southern Tunisia, on April 2021. A structured an anonymous self-administered questionnaire including the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale was applied for a total of 1071 US.

Among 1071 US, 759 cases (71%) were females, giving a male to female ratio of 0.4. Their mean age was 22.2 ±2.5 years. There were 1035 single US (96.5%), 246 smokers (23%) and 140 alcohol consumers (13.1%). Students with low self-esteem were identified at a prevalence of 29.5%. Living in a urban region (OR = 1.7; p = 0.004), studying in a private university (OR = 2.5; p = 0.013), having a low monthly income (<2 minimum wage) (OR = 1.6; p = 0.014) and a chronic disease (OR = 2.1; p < 0.001) were major risk factors of low self-esteem. Moreover, daily TV time >4 hours (OR = 5.9; p = 0.009) and absence of leisure activities (OR = 1.8; p = 0.006) were significantly associated with higher prevalence of low self-esteem. Otherwise, practicing physical activity 3 times/week (OR = 0.6; p = 0.04) and high academic performance (OR = 0.8; p = 0.004) were identified as protective factors of low self-esteem.

The findings from the current study highlighted that low self-esteem was ranking at an alarming rate among US. These results therefore suggested the need for a school-based or web-based provision aiming at proactively increasing students' self-esteem and skills for dealing with their academic career and self-confidence.

Low self-esteem and its associated factors.

University students.

physical activity
chronic disease
leisure activities
mental health
self administration
protective factors
self esteem
academic performance
college students

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Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem in adolescents: what are the root causes, ... and what can adults do to help.

Posted June 3, 2022 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

What Is Self-Esteem?
Take our Self-Esteem Test
Find a therapist near me
Low self-esteem in teens is not uncommon and can cause problems with peers, in decision-making, and is associated with anxiety and depression.
Some key causes of low self-esteem are adverse childhood experiences (trauma), chronic criticism, societal expectations and attacks on identity.
Adults can help improve self-esteem by demonstrating love, praise, and emotional support, and giving responsibilities that prove successful.

Co-authored by William Capriola

Let’s consider two adolescent scenarios.

First, Sasha:

Sasha was born a worrier. She’s always been a shy , sensitive kid with a lot of anxiety . Luckily, she’s had supportive family members, friends, and teachers, who have gently pushed her out of her comfort zone.

But a few years ago, Sasha’s home life took a turn for the worse. Her parents started arguing regularly, behind closed doors at first, but soon enough in front of their children. In this stressful environment, Sasha’s natural sensitivity and anxiety caused her to believe she was somehow to blame for all the arguing.

Now 12 years old, Sasha has been exposed to this family conflict for so long that it’s damaged her self-esteem . She started middle school, where she’s met many new kids, but she has had trouble forming friendships without constantly wondering how others perceive and value her, and most importantly, what she can do to maintain their friendship .

Sasha constantly worries she has done or said something that will make her friends dislike her. Yet, Sasha is incredibly likable! She’s a very funny, empathetic person. Still, she is terrified of connecting with other kids because she thinks they could never possibly want to be her friend.

Now let’s look at Tyler:

At 15 years old, Tyler is a great student and avid soccer player. He also has ADHD . Tyler has always done well academically, as his ADHD presents mainly as impulsivity, not inattentiveness. But socially, Tyler sometimes has trouble stopping himself from interrupting others or withholding comments that can come across as insensitive or thoughtless.

Concerned that this behavior might be impacting his relationships, Tyler’s mom recently asked him if his impulsivity had caused any issues with friends. At first, Tyler denied it was a problem. But in truth, there was a pattern. His blurted-out comments have often resulted in hurt feelings and even arguments. This has been going on for years, leading to a falling out between Tyler and some of his closest friends. Over time, his friends have become less tolerant, criticized him more openly, and stopped inviting him to hang out.

Tyler finally shares with his mom that he’s overwhelmed by the damage to his friendships. The conflict has left him feeling guilty, ashamed, and often rejected by some of his favorite people. His mom notices he has been asking for less playtime in his soccer games, and teachers report Tyler is much quieter in class. He rarely asks his friends to hang out anymore, even though Tyler has always been a passionate student- athlete and a social butterfly.

Understanding Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is at the core of both Sasha’s and Tyler’s stories, and to help them, we need to understand how self-esteem affects our mindset. Self-esteem is the overall opinion a person has about themselves—how they perceive their abilities and worth, their self-confidence , and their sense of security.

People experience low self-esteem differently. For example, not everyone with low self-esteem is excessively self-critical, but no matter how it manifests, low self-esteem is quite common. Even the most successful people, including celebrities and athletes, often struggle with “pockets” of self-doubt in certain parts of their lives.

Causes of Low Self-Esteem

We’ll check in with Tyler and Sasha later, but for now, let’s step away from these two cases to consider some reasons a child or teen might have low self-esteem:

Chronic Abuse and Criticism: We all need compassion, empathy, and encouragement.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): ACEs are events that occur during a child’s development that may be traumatic , such as neglect, witnessing violence, the death of a family member, or the imprisonment of a loved one.
Societal Pressures and Expectations: We are all constantly exposed to the successes of friends and family on social media , accomplished celebrities, and highly edited photos of people in the media and advertisements. It’s hard to resist comparison and the feeling of not being good enough. Society’s unreasonable and unattainable expectations are damaging to self-worth.
Attacks on Identity : Hurtful messages about marginalized people can shake a young person’s pride in a fundamental part of their identity such as their culture, race, sexuality , gender , or socioeconomic class. Those with chronic medical illnesses, physical impairments, learning disorders, or mental health conditions face similar challenges.

Effects of Low Self-Esteem

We saw how Sasha’s low self-esteem impaired her ability to form healthy relationships, and how Tyler became much more withdrawn as a result of his low self-esteem. How else might it affect a young person? Young people with low self-esteem may:

Demonstrate less confidence and avoid taking healthy risks, such as auditioning for a school play
Struggle to make important decisions, such as choosing which classes to take or whether to accept a leadership position in a club
Have difficulty saying no under peer pressure , such as when pressured to use substances or drive under the influence
Find it hard to embrace healthy confrontations and self-advocacy when they need to stand up to a bully or argue for their values
Tend to suffer from anxiety, depression , loneliness , or addiction later in life

How to Help Young People Increase Self-Esteem

One of the greatest gifts we can pass along to children is the belief that they have inherent value and are worthy of being loved for who they are.

By helping a young person develop healthy self-esteem, we support their inner strength and confidence and help them learn from their failures. The younger we start helping the better, but it’s never too late to begin improving a young person’s self-esteem. Caring adults can:

Show children unconditional love, encouragement, and praise. Even when kids fail or misbehave, we can show compassion as we process the situation together.
Help children have a positive impact on another person’s life. This can be done through volunteering in the school or community, helping younger siblings, or assisting parents with chores.
Help young people improve their favorite skills and activities. Confidence and competence go hand-in-hand, and when kids feel proud of their abilities, they’ll also feel more positive about themselves.
Help young people develop a realistic and positive view of themselves by reflecting accurately on their strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to do this in a non-judgmental way. No matter the age, we grow the most when we see failures as an opportunity to learn about ourselves.
Give young people the chance to take responsibility for their actions. This includes the chance to apologize when they experience conflict.
Identify and challenge negative thought patterns , which are often exaggerated and distorted, and erode self-esteem.
Help young people take pride in their unique identity and their differences. These include sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity , and family constellations.
Model positive behaviors. Demonstrate to your child how you practice self-compassion and don’t hide your setbacks from your child.

The Final Word

The good news is that there are many ways to help our young people improve their self-esteem. Let’s see how things turned out for Sasha and Tyler.

For Sasha, it took three steps and a bit of time:

Knowing his daughter well, Sasha’s dad noticed her withdrawn behavior and began having gentle conversations about what was troubling her. Sasha opened up, admitting she felt guilty about causing problems in the family. She was repeatedly reassured that the conflicts were not her fault.
Sasha’s parents asked her primary care pediatrician to help schedule a clinical evaluation. The evaluation revealed that Sasha has generalized anxiety disorder and a shy, inhibited temperament.
At the evaluator’s recommendation, Sasha began individual and family therapy . Her parents also started couple’s therapy. The family considered medications for Sasha’s generalized anxiety but decided they were not needed at the moment.

Over the course of a few months, Sasha’s self-esteem grew greatly. She engaged with friends with less anxiety, and most importantly, she experienced less guilt surrounding her home life.

In Tyler’s case, his mom realized something needed to be done. They had a few joint meetings with his psychopharmacologist and came up with the following plan:

Tyler’s stimulant medication was adjusted, and the dosage was increased. The psychopharmacologist also prescribed a second medication, Tenex (guanfacine), which helps to reduce impulsivity without affecting attentiveness.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was initiated to work on modifying Tyler’s thoughts and practice thinking before acting. He became less short-fused and more mindful of the consequences of his behavior.
Since his impulsivity had also been noticeable at home, Tyler’s mom held family meetings, which included his brother, to help him learn behavioral strategies and skills.
Tyler's mom initiated a CORE evaluation to review his special accommodations in school. This resulted in changing his seat in school, scheduling meetings with the school guidance counselor, and getting constructive feedback from school staff regarding his impulsive behavior.

After six months of this plan, Tyler’s interpersonal behavior improved significantly, along with greater self-esteem, pride, and self-confidence.

Tyler and Sasha are fictional, but the problems they experienced are as real as they are common. When a young person experiences low self-esteem, the adults in their life have an opportunity to help them develop confidence and resilience that will carry them far in life. We can find hope in remembering that the solutions to low self-esteem are even more diverse than the causes. Knowledge, conversations, and love will lead the way to a world of change.

This post was originally published by The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory .

Eugene Beresin, M.D. , is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

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How to Build Self Esteem – The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden Animated Book Review by FightMediocrity

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