Self-Esteem: How You Feel About Yourself

Page 39

Self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself, usually in a particular situation. Self-esteem consists of attitudes that people hold about their own emotions, thoughts, abilities, skills, behavior, and beliefs. These attitudes fluctuate according to the situation. Self-concept and self-esteem are closely related: people need to know themselves before they can have attitudes about themselves. Consequently, many researchers believe that the self-concept forms first, and self-esteem emerges later (Greenwalk, Bellezza, & Banaji, 1988).

You have probably noticed that people with high self-esteem have confidence in what they do, how they think, and how they perform. That’s partly because these individuals are better able to incorporate their successes into their self-concept. This projection of confidence led the Italian high-end clothing company Canali to make Yankee baseball pitcher Mariano Rivera the first sports star in its advertising campaign history (Araton, 2010). Rivera’s self-assurance and self-control add to the perception of Canali’s elegant clothing.

Research shows that people with high self-esteem are more confident in their interpersonal relationships too—perhaps because they tend to believe that being friendly will cause others to be friendly in return (Baldwin & Keelan, 1999). Research also shows that perceived commitment from a romantic partner enhances self-esteem (Rill, Baiocchi, Hopper, Denker, & Olson, 2009). So, individuals with high self-esteem may not feel a strong need for public displays of affection. By contrast, people with low self-esteem might press their romantic partners to show affection in public, so others get their message that “someone loves me!”

Research suggests that some people have low self-esteem, or a poor view of themselves, because they lack accurate information or mistrust the knowledge they do possess. For example, you may feel that you are a poor student because you have to study constantly to keep up your grades in German class. Your German professor, on the other hand, might find that your efforts and the improvement you’ve made over the semester reveal that you are a good, hardworking student. Low self-esteem may also result from an inconsistent view of oneself (Campbell, 1990). Some people who think they possess shortcomings or negative traits may ignore them so that they can maintain a positive self-esteem. This kind of denial is demonstrated by the characters in the satire It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In that show, siblings Dennis and Dee each exhibit some of the most unlikable characteristics imaginable. They are at once ignorant, smug, prejudiced, and childish. Yet each remains convinced of his or her own superiority—believing himself or herself to be highly attractive and intellectually enlightened. And each ignores any evidence that contradicts this view.