What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is an individual’s emotional evaluation of their self-worth. Psychologist
Albert Ellis was extremely critical of the concept of self-esteem.
He believed that the act of rating
and attaching a specific value to
people was irrational and unethical. The philosophy of
self-esteem, according to Albert, was unrealistic and proved to be self- and socially destructive. In his opinion, the healthier
alternative to self-esteem is unconditional self-acceptance and unconditional other acceptance. The unconditional
acceptance of others is an important attribute to possess.
Low Self-Esteem
Low Self-Esteem
In the case of low
self-esteem, a person has negatively
evaluated themselves as being incompetent. There are many traits that
identify the presence of low self-esteem: envy,
extreme self-criticism, fear of mistakes, pessimism, hypersensitivity to
criticism, and feelings of being attacked. Having low self-esteem
will cause people to seek outside sources in order to boost self-worth or
validation. The search for validation
will place many people on a dangerously
destructive path or cause them to become vulnerable candidates to be taken advantage of.
Two cognitive biases support low self-esteem: biased perception and biased interpretation.
When people have a poor perception
of themselves, they view each error
that they make as a major violation.
This will also increase their negative
self-image. Self-criticism
in these cases is extreme. Low
self-esteem has the propensity to cause people to become perfectionists because they have little
or no tolerance for imperfection within themselves. Mistakes are viewed
as totally unacceptable. As a result of negative experiences which may have occurred during the early years
of their life, many people who suffer from low
self-esteem are extremely
pessimistic. The negative
episodes in their lives have molded their minds to the extent that even when
they come in contact with positive people or experience positive events, they
still exhibit a suspicious attitude or expect a negative outcome.
Many times, they are unaware of this flaw because it has become a defense
mechanism to aid them in managing or avoiding disappointment. One of the
most dangerous traits of low
self-esteem and the biggest liability
is a hypersensitivity to criticism
which causes them to resent others because they believe that they are under
attack. Sometimes this will cause them to go into denial concerning their
self-esteem issues and seek to overcompensate even more. The devil uses
the very thing that caused him to be evicted from heaven to discourage people
from seeking help and being delivered: PRIDE.
People will believe that they are the
only one struggling in a particular area. They have either forgotten
or are unaware that the Bible instructs us to encourage one another and bear one another’s burdens. When we
cease to be self-seeking, we will no
longer be overcome by feelings of low self-esteem.
The Solution
God’s answer and solution to the self-esteem issue is self-denial
and to esteem others above yourself. God has repeatedly
given us the validation that is essential for us to live healthy righteous
lives. The Bible assures us that we are fearfully and wonderfully
made. We also understand that there is no new thing under
the sun. That means that there isn’t anything going on in our
lives that has not been experienced by someone else at some point in history.
As human beings, we are all flawed
and we each have inadequacies.
When we begin to understand how unique God has made each of us, we
will see that we do not have to achieve earthly success or perform some great
act in order to obtain some form of self-worth. When we learn
to humble ourselves and deny ourselves, we will attain the
necessary confidence to be productive in the kingdom of God. We will then
become who God desires us to be.
Psalm 139:14 I
will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 8:4-5 What
is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For
You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with
glory and honor.
