What is self-esteem? It is an essential part of human psychology. According to the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, self-esteem ranges from zero (vanishing), to four (about balanced), six (near perfect), or eight (almost perfectly balanced). In other words, a low level of self-esteem could be viewed as having a negative trait, while a high level would be described as having an excellent trait.
Self-esteem is an internal subjective assessment of one’s worth to oneself and others. Self esteem encompasses various attitudes, including confidence, power, satisfaction, competence, attractiveness, achievement, and competence, and power and influence. In essence, self-esteem is essentially a mental state about how we view ourselves. It is our personal view of ourselves as it manifests itself in our behaviors and interactions with others. Self-worth is not something we can change, but it is something that we can construct and improve on.
In psychological literature the term “self-worth” is used to refer to the confidence and positive attitude we have about ourselves, which we believe others will also see and accept. It’s important for this positive self-image to coincide with the person’s real or potential abilities. This is the blind area where we can learn most about ourselves, but are most unaware of.
The first step to improving self esteem is to make a list of everything you believe about yourself that is negative. It may be anything from your appearance, to your age, your job performance, your finances, or any number of factors. Write down everything you think is negative about yourself, whether it’s true or false. Now compare your list of negatives with your overall sense of self-worth. The list should represent a complete picture of who you are, not just a bunch of parts of a story.
One of the main areas of self-confidence building involves positive self-talk. To change your negative thought processes about yourself, you must listen to yourself and be honest with yourself. Everyone has at least one false belief that affects their actions and interactions with others. Changing these beliefs and replacing them with more accurate beliefs is one of the main areas of building self-esteem and changing the “Blind Spot”. When you have a consistent stream of positive self-talk and imagery, your interpretation of the world around you and your personal behavior will change dramatically.
Another important role of self-esteem plays in your personality is your self-image. This plays an important role in your confidence level and in how you interact with others, but it’s not the only important role. Self esteem and self-respect are also needed for healthy relationships and effective parenting.
It’s difficult to give advice about your personal self-image or your confidence, because there are so many factors and influences on how you view and interpret life. What we do know is that self esteem and self respect are closely tied to your perceived control over life. There are many factors that can affect your perception of control. In a study of high achievers, it was found that the number one trait that they had in common was a high degree of self esteem and self confidence. And this was no accident. High self esteem and self-confidence are influenced by many factors and you cannot look at any one factor as the sole influence.
Your sense of self-worth and self-confidence are influenced by the quality of your relationships and the quality of your experiences and these are interlinked. The more you trust and respect the people around you, the more you will attract that into your interactions with others and this will have an impact on your own self-image and self-confidence. You must first accept yourself as you are and believe in yourself as much as you believe in the quality of your relationships and the quality of your life. Then you can look at your self-image and self-confidence in the mirror and be confident that the world will still accept and love you the way you are.