SELF ESTEEM is the value we place in ourselves. It is our own evaluation of ourselves. Moreover, our self esteem resonates with our emotions, feelings and thoughts. Usually, the happy feelings, and positive thoughts are connected with high self esteem.
People with high self esteem:
- Easily appreciate themselves and others.
- Are not afraid of trying new things and experiences.
- Make their own decisions carefully and make it very clear when they disagree.
- Accept people as they are, and have mutually respectful relationships.
- Adhere to a set of values they believe in and live with it.
- Are not shy to speak up about their needs and desires.
- Stay calm in different situations while sticking to their belief, not getting angry and irritated easily.
- Do not compare themselves to anyone, and believe everyone is equal.
- Understand and reject manipulatations.
- Ready to accept challenges, take risks and learn from their mistakes.
- Handle criticism well and know their worth is not dependent on other's opinions.
People with very high self-esteem might sometimes see themselves as superior in their own minds, but they may be regarded as arrogant by others. For example-Psychopaths, tyrants, and bullies have a high opinion of themselves and believe others admire them.
People in collectivist cultures are shown to have lower self esteem as compared to those in highly individualistic cultures. This is because they might put the group/family/community they belong to, ahead of themselves. In those cases, they derive the benefits of being a part of a larger unit and their self esteem is connected to the respect of the group as a whole as opposed to the individual. Extremely high self esteem might lead to narcissism, while on the other hand extremely low self esteem could lead to feeling low and depressions.
Therefore, high self esteem cannot stand as an absolute factor in itself for a positive well being of an individual. It has many dimensions attached to it. Self esteem combined with love, respect and kindness for others and occasional self checks are some of the factors responsible for the overall happiness in people.
Comments