Self-esteem is the amount of respect or self-worth that a person has for them. People are often described as having either high self-esteem, meaning they think very well of themselves and their abilities, or low self-esteem, meaning they are filled with doubts and criticisms about themselves and their abilities. People with low self-esteem may experience many problems in their lives. Low self-esteem” is only a description of the way a person thinks or feels; it is not a diagnosis of a mental health problem. Mental health professionals do agree that healthy self-esteem is important to many aspects of a person’s life.
People with low self-esteem often think of themselves in very critical ways, such as I am a failure, or I cannot do anything right. With these thoughts there are upsetting feelings, these include: sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, and worthlessness. People with low self-esteem have difficulty making decisions, because they doubt that they will be successful. They also find it harder to make friends, because they are often shy or they do not think other people will like them. People with low self-esteem frequently stay away from situations in which they might be judged, so they avoid taking chances or trying new things.
People with higher self-esteem often have happier and more satisfying lives. They are confident about their abilities to cope with problems and take on new challenges, and more open to new people to make friends.
But despite these aptitudes, many doctors still doubtful about the benefits of helping people increase their level of self-esteem. Some researchers claim that encouraging people to raise their self-esteem does more harm than good. For people who recognize that their lives are not satisfying because of their critical, judgmental thoughts about themselves, increasing self-esteem can have many lasting benefits.
Because of the fact that low self esteem results in judgmental thoughts and troubling feelings about oneself; low self-esteem can lead to more serious problems. Research shows that it often results in problems like eating disorders and depression.
Low self-esteem can be particularly damaging during adolescence; it can be marked with aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Low-self esteem during adolescence was related to an increased likelihood of later problems in adulthood, including anxiety, depression, poor physical health, increased criminal behavior, and greater employment difficulties
Because of the possibility of low self-esteem leading to more serious problems, people who do suffer with this problem should get help before the issue develops into a more serious disorder.
There are many reasons why people think of themselves and their abilities, including social, economic, cultural, and biological factors. Children in families who interact towards each other in positive ways often had higher levels of self-esteem. One study found that African-Americans and Latino Americans had higher self-esteem than their peers, when they were involved with their religious organizations. Also it was found that boys were more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem than girls. There are many factors that can influence a person’s self-esteem.
People with low self-esteem often think of themselves as being unworthy of happiness, unable to cope with problems, and unlikable. The combination of these thoughts and feelings causes them to avoid social events, friendships, challenges, and certain kinds of jobs, and other opportunities which all make them feel worse and judge themselves even more.
Improving a person’s self-esteem comes by attacking the self-critical thoughts that caused the problem in the first place and engaging in behaviors that have been avoided. These are the focus of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of treatment that combines elements of both cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy examines the way people thinks about themselves, others, and how affects their mental health. Behavior therapy investigates the way people’s actions influence their own lives and their interactions with others. With the two, this type of therapy examines the way people can change their thoughts and behaviors in order to improve their lives.
The cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for self-esteem focuses on addressing the causes of the problem. In general, this treatment includes: conduct education; prove false the self-criticism; challenge cognitive distortions; develop compassion for self and others; omit should; learn to handle mistakes; learn to respond to criticism.
Changing one’s beliefs and improving self-esteem can be complicated and difficult. There will be successes and difficulties during the process. The key to long-term, healthy self-esteem is to continuing therapy and to seek professional help when needed.
