The concept of self-esteem in psychology. Self-esteem - what is it: concept, structure, types and levels

Self-esteem

Evaluation by a person of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people. Relating to the core of the personality, S. is an important regulator of her behavior. Relationships of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, his attitude to successes and failures depend on S. Thus, S. affects performance efficiency man and further his personality. S. is closely related to level of claims person, i.e., the degree of difficulty of the goals that he sets for himself. The discrepancy between the claims and the real capabilities of a person leads to the fact that he begins to incorrectly evaluate himself, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate (emotional breakdowns occur, increased, etc.). S. receives an objective expression in how a person evaluates the possibilities and results of the activities of others (for example, belittles them when S. is overestimated). In works domestic psychologists S.'s influence on cognitive human(, , intellectual tasks) and the place of S. in the system interpersonal relationships , methods for the formation of an adequate S., and in the case of its deformation, its transformations by means of educational influences on a person are determined.


Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: PHOENIX. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .

Self-esteem

An assessment by a person of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people is a value attributed by him to himself or to his individual qualities. Relating to the core of the personality, it is an important regulator of behavior. The relationship of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, his attitude to successes and failures depend on it. Thus, it affects the performance and further development personality. The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion.

The main functions performed by self-assessment:

1 ) regulatory - on the basis of which the solution of problems of personal choice takes place;

2 ) protective - providing relative stability and independence of the individual.

Self-esteem is closely related to the level of a person's claims - the degree of difficulty of the goals he sets himself. The discrepancy between claims and real possibilities leads to the fact that he begins to evaluate himself incorrectly, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate - emotional breakdowns, increased anxiety, etc. belittles them with high self-esteem). A significant role in the formation of self-esteem is played by the assessments of surrounding personalities and the achievements of the individual.

In domestic psychology, the influence of self-esteem on cognitive activity of a person (, solution of intellectual problems), the place of self-esteem in the system of interpersonal relations, methods for the formation of adequate self-esteem are determined, and when it is deformed, methods for its transformation through educational influences are determined.


Vocabulary practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998 .

The value that an individual ascribes to himself or to his individual qualities.

Specificity.

The main evaluation criterion is the system personal meanings individual. The main functions that are performed by self-esteem are regulatory, on the basis of which the tasks of personal choice are solved, and protective, ensuring relative stability and independence of the individual. A significant role in the formation of self-esteem is played by assessments of the surrounding achievements of the individual and his personality.


Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000 .

SELF-ESTEEM

(English) self esteem) - value, significance, which the individual endows himself as a whole and certain aspects of his personalities, activities, behavior. S. acts as a relatively stable structural formation, a component I-concepts,self-awareness, and as a process of self-assessment. S. is based on the system personal meanings the individual's value system. considered as the central personal education and the central component of the self-concept.

S. performs regulatory and protective function, influencing the behavior, activities and development of the individual, her relationship with other people. Reflecting the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself, the level of self-esteem, S. creates the basis for the perception of one's own success and failure, setting goals of a certain level, i.e. the level of claims of the individual. The protective function of S., providing relative stability and autonomy () of the individual, can lead to a distortion of experience data and thereby have a negative effect. impact on development.

WITH. developed individual form complex system, which determines the nature of the individual's self-relationship and includes general S., which reflects the level of self-esteem, holistic acceptance or non-acceptance of oneself, and partial, private S., characterizing the attitude to certain aspects of their personality, actions, success certain types activities. S. m. b. different levels awareness and generalization.

The page is characterized by a trace. parameters: 1) level (value) - high, medium and low S.; 2) realism - adequate and inadequate (overestimated and underestimated) S.; 3) structural features - conflict and conflict-free S.; 4) temporary about th relatedness - prognostic, actual, retrospective S.; 5) sustainability, etc.

For the development of personality, such a nature of self-relationship is effective when it is enough high overall The page is combined with adequate, differentiated partial S. different levels. Stable and at the same time sufficiently flexible S. (which, if necessary, can change under the influence of new information, gaining experience, assessing others, changing criteria, etc.) is optimal for both development and productivity. Negative influence is rendered by excessively steady, rigid S., and also strongly fluctuating, unstable. S.'s conflict can have both productive, and disorganizing character. S.'s instability and conflict increases in critical periods development, in particular in adolescence.

S. is formed on the basis of assessments of others, assessment of results own activities, as well as on the basis of the ratio of real and ideal ideas about oneself. Preservation of the formed, habitual S. becomes for a person need, which is associated with a number of important self-evaluative phenomena, such as , discomfort of success, etc. See also mirror self. (A. M. Parishioners.)

Added ed.: Ros. psychologists often call S. any judgment of a person about himself: age, abilities, character, plans, experiences, etc. For example, in Sat. with the ambitious title "Best psychological tests for career selection and career guidance” offers a “test” called the “Scale of self-esteem” (Ch. D. Spielberger, Yu. L. Khanin), which is considered a method of S. anxiety level (as a state and personality trait). "WITH." here it is contrasted, for example, with expert judgment.


Big psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

Self-esteem

   SELF-ESTEEM (with. 526) - an element of self-consciousness, characterized by emotionally rich assessments of oneself as a person, one's own abilities, moral qualities and deeds; an important regulator of behavior. Self-esteem determines the relationship of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, attitude towards successes and failures. Thus, self-esteem affects the effectiveness of a person's activities and the development of his personality. Self-esteem is closely related to the level of claims, goals that a person sets for himself. Adequate self-esteem allows a person to correctly correlate his strength with tasks of varying difficulty and with the requirements of others. Inadequate (overestimated or underestimated) self-esteem deforms inner world personality, distorts its motivational and emotional volitional sphere and thereby impede harmonious development.

Self-esteem develops, firstly, under the influence of those assessments that other people give a person. A person tends to evaluate himself as, in his opinion, he is evaluated by others. Disregard for this kind of “external” assessment is rarely sincere, a person takes it into account one way or another. Secondly, self-esteem is formed as a result of comparing the image of the real "I" (how a person sees himself) with the image of the ideal "I" (how a person would like to see himself). High degree the coincidence between these formations corresponds to a harmonious mental disposition.


Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005 .

Self-esteem

Our opinion about ourselves. When evaluating their abilities, children may have a high or low opinion of themselves, depending on their own success and the assessments of those around them. AT early childhood The child judges himself according to four main criteria:

1. Cognitive competence: the ability to solve problems and achieve goals.

2. social competence: the ability to maintain relationships with other people.

3. Physical competence: “what can I (or can’t) do” - run, play football, etc.

With age, the criteria for self-esteem become more differentiated as ideas about our attractiveness to the opposite sex, our sense of humor, professional suitability, etc. form. In some theories, self-esteem is considered as the result of a combined perception of our abilities in all areas of life. Because some areas seem more important than others (for example, we may not care about our own appearance or physical strength), we tend to weigh the importance of each opinion rather than sum them up. According to other views on the development of self-esteem, it is based on the opinions and judgments of other people (see).


Psychology. AND I. Dictionary-reference book / Per. from English. K. S. Tkachenko. - M.: FAIR-PRESS. Mike Cordwell. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "self-esteem" is in other dictionaries:

    self-esteem- self-esteem … Spelling Dictionary

    Self-esteem- this is a person's idea of ​​the importance of his personal activity in society and the assessment of himself and his own qualities and feelings, advantages and disadvantages, their expression openly or closedly. The main evaluation criterion is the system ... ... Wikipedia

    SELF-ESTEEM- assessment by the individual of himself, his capabilities, qualities and place among other people; one of the most important regulators of personality behavior ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Self-esteem- the value that an individual ascribes to himself or to his individual qualities. The system of personal meanings of an individual acts as the main evaluation criterion. The main functions that are performed by self-assessment, regulatory, based on ... ... Psychological Dictionary

So, in the course of the study, we have already established that self-esteem, in psychological science, is understood as the work by an individual of an assessment of his own merits and defects, behavior and deeds, the definition of a personal role and significance in society, the definition of himself as a whole. In order to more clearly and correctly characterize the subjects, certain types self-assessment of the individual, namely:

According to realism, they distinguish adequate and inadequate self-esteem, among which are underestimated and overestimated;

Depending on the level (or magnitude) of self-esteem, it can be high, medium or low;

In terms of time, then they distinguish predictive, up-to-date and retrospective self-esteem;

According to the area of ​​​​distribution, they distinguish general, private and specific situational self-esteem;

Depending on the characteristics of the structure of self-esteem, it can be conflict and conflict-free(some authors call it constructive and destructive);

Depending on the strength of self-esteem, it can be sustainable and unstable. Maklakov A.G. M15 General psychology: Textbook for universities. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008. - 583 p.

The listed types of self-esteem of a person are considered fundamental in psychological science. They can be interpreted as a modification of the behavior of subjects from the area of ​​an absolutely impersonal beginning to an individually personal certainty.

So, there is a normal self-esteem, or as they say - adequate, low and overestimated, respectively - inadequate. These types of self-assessment are the most important and decisive, since it depends on their level how much a person will sensibly assess own forces, deeds, qualities, deeds. The level of self-esteem is to give excessive importance to yourself, self-worth and defects, or vice versa - insignificance. It should be noted that some authors use the phrase "optimal self-esteem", to which most psychologists include the following levels:

Middle level;

Above average;

High level.

At the same time, all levels that do not fall into the category of optimal self-esteem are considered non-optimal (they include low and high self-esteem). Psychologists say that there are two types of low self-esteem:

- low level self-esteem and low level of claims(too much low self-esteem when a person exaggerates all his shortcomings);

- low self-esteem and high level of claims(has another name - the effect of inadequacy, which can talk about an inferiority complex formed in a person and constant inner feeling increased anxiety). Practical psychodiagnostics: Methods and tests. Tutorial/ Ed. composed by D.Ya. Raygorodsky. - Samara: BAHRAKH-M, 2006. - 672 p.

It is necessary for a person to know the level of self-esteem, because this will help him, if necessary, to direct his efforts to its correction. Modern psychological science gives many different tips on how to increase self-esteem and make it adequate. Wherein adequacy self-esteem of the individual is determined by the ratio of two opposite mental processes: cognitive and protective. The first promotes adequacy, and the second acts in the direction of the reverse reality. The protective process is explained by the fact that every person has a sense of self-preservation, which acts in situations of self-esteem on self-justification of personal behavior, as well as self-defense of inner personal psychological comfort. This process also occurs when a person is left alone with himself, since it is difficult for an individual to recognize the chaos within himself. Many mistakenly believe that an overestimated level of self-esteem is a good thing. However, this opinion is not entirely correct, since deviations in self-esteem in one direction or another very rarely contribute to the fruitful development of the individual.

So, people with an overestimated degree of self-esteem tend to overestimate their own real potential, who often think that the people around them underestimate them without reason, as a result of which they treat the people around them completely unfriendly, often arrogant and arrogant, and sometimes quite aggressively. At the same time, they are sure that they are superior to other individuals in everything, and demand recognition of their own superiority. Subjects with an overestimated degree of self-esteem are constantly trying to prove to others that they are the best, and others are worse than them. Because of this, others tend to avoid communication with them.

Frankly inflated self-esteem of the individual is marked by a superiority complex - "I am the most correct", as well as a complex of two-year-old children - "I am the best." A person with high self-esteem idealizes himself, exaggerates his abilities and capabilities, as well as his significance for the people around him. Such a person ignores failures to maintain psychological comfort, while maintaining his usual high conceit. At the same time, such an individual presents weak sides for the strong, giving out the usual aggressiveness and stubbornness for determination and will. Often such a person turns into an inaccessible person for other individuals, becoming mentally deaf and losing feedback with those around you. He never listens to other people's opinions. Such a person attributes failure to external factors, other people's intrigues, circumstances, intrigues, but not to his own mistakes. Critical assessment of oneself by other personalities is unacceptable for him, and he treats such people with obvious distrust, classifying all this as envy and nit-picking.

A person with high self-esteem puts inflated and impossible goals; has a level of claims that exceeds its real capabilities. For such a person, such features as arrogance, arrogance, striving for superiority, aggressiveness, rudeness, quarrelsomeness, rigidity are inherent. He behaves emphatically independently, and this is perceived by others as scorn and arrogance. A person with inflated self-esteem is subject to the pursuit of hysterical and neurotic manifestations, he believes that he deserves more, but he is unlucky. Often it is predictable and stable in its behavior, has a characteristic appearance:

High head position

straight posture,

long and direct gaze,

Frankly low self-esteem of the individual is manifested in an anxious, stuck type of character accentuation. As a rule, such a person is not self-confident, indecisive, shy, overly cautious and, like no one else, is in dire need of the approval and support of others. An individual with low self-esteem is easily succumbing to the influence of other personalities and thoughtlessly follows their lead. Often, suffering from an inferiority complex, he tries to fulfill himself, to assert himself at any cost, which leads such a person to indiscriminate means in achieving goals. Such a person is feverishly trying to catch up and prove to himself and everyone his importance and that he personally is worth something. His goals set for himself are lower than he can achieve. A person with low self-esteem often goes into their troubles, as well as failures, while inflating their role in life. Such a person is too demanding of others and of himself, overly self-critical, withdrawn, envious, suspicious, vindictive, cruel. Often they see themselves as failures, do not notice, as a result of which they cannot correctly assess their best qualities. Low self-esteem, as a rule, is formed in childhood, but can often be transformed from adequate due to regular comparison with other subjects. Often such a person becomes a bore, bringing others around with trifles, as well as causing conflicts, both at work and in the family. Appearance is characterized by:

retraction of the head,

indecisive gait,

When talking, averting eyes to the side.

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Self-esteem, according to psychologists, is the quality that allows us to reach unprecedented heights and contentment with ourselves, or turn into a worthless creature without any pretensions.

Definition of self-esteem

The definition of self-esteem is as follows: self-esteem is the process and result of a person evaluating his own qualities and merits.

Thus, self-esteem consists of two subspecies:

  • self-esteem of a person - how a person evaluates himself and his position in life;
  • specific-situational self-esteem - how a person evaluates himself in any particular situation.

The subject of interest of psychologists in ordinary life most often it is the first type that serves - self-esteem of the individual.

Self-esteem level

A person with a sufficiently high level of self-esteem is self-confident, does not get lost in difficult situation and is not afraid to set some difficult and difficult goals. And most of the time he succeeds.

Low self-esteem, on the other hand, prevents us from achieving our desires and goals.

Interestingly, the level of self-esteem of a person may not correspond at all to his actual qualities and capabilities. This is primarily because self-esteem is influenced by many factors:

  • opinions and attitudes of other people;
  • degree of success;
  • the level of self-esteem that a person seeks to achieve (claims);
  • opinion of the individual about himself;
  • emotional condition;
  • degree of self-confidence;
  • confidence or uncertainty in one's own ability to adequately respond to a difficult situation.

Sometimes you may realize that you underestimate yourself too much. But if you are too shy or have been constantly convinced (or even still being convinced) that you are not capable of anything, then most likely you do not even have a thought to doubt the assessment of others. In such cases, the help of a specialist is needed. After all, the correction started on time, with yours, of course, great desire can bring amazing results.

People who decide to meet with a psychologist learn to look at their actions, successes and failures from the other side, treat themselves with great respect and trust.

To begin with, a psychologist will determine your level of self-esteem. You will be offered special tables, with the help of which the psychologist finds out the features of a person's self-esteem, determines its adequacy and gives recommendations for correction.

Adequate self-esteem

Adequate self-esteem can be high, low or medium. If a we are talking about overestimated or underestimated self-esteem, which means that it does not fit the definition of adequate.

Under adequate self-esteem in this case it implies a true assessment of one's capabilities, abilities and position in life.

The adequacy of self-esteem is determined by a psychologist by analyzing the real and desired (ideal) claims and capabilities of a person. A high level of self-esteem is usually characteristic of successful, self-confident people who put real goals and having enough strength and ability to achieve them

Low self-esteem is formed in people who are too shy, seeking to avoid difficult situations and decisive actions. However, both examples refer to adequate self-esteem.

However, it happens that a person values ​​himself and his abilities too highly, unjustifiably elevates himself above the people around him, or vice versa. Such people fall under the definition of individuals with inadequate high or low self-esteem.

Features of self-esteem

The level of self-esteem of a person is formed from childhood. Parents who indulge their child in everything and praise him literally for any insignificant reason are unlikely to do the right thing, as they risk raising a person with inflated self-esteem, which in the future can have a very bad effect on him.

Psychologists, studying the features of self-esteem, found that this factor may depend on age and even gender.

In this regard, many studies have been written on the features of self-esteem of younger children. school age, features of self-esteem of adolescents and so on.

Various features of self-esteem may also appear in different situations. For example, the same person is able to relate to himself and define his capabilities in different ways in the workplace, surrounded by friends or in everyday private life.

Self-esteem of a woman

A woman's self-esteem can also have some features. Today, for example, one of the most studied topics is the features of self-esteem of women suffering from infertility.

A woman's self-esteem is generally different from a man's self-esteem. main reason, according to psychologists, is that modern woman, although it has more possibilities, nevertheless consciously denies itself some claims.

For example, to a high leadership position or a bright political career allows itself to claim only a small number of the fair sex. Often, as already mentioned, a woman denies herself this of her own free will, guided by the fact that these desires are characteristic of men and are approved by society as purely male claims.

Of course, this factor does not have the most favorable effect on a woman's self-esteem, especially if she has enough strength and ability to achieve her goal.

Self-esteem test

As already mentioned, the definition of self-esteem is the work of a psychologist. However, if you are interested in this topic, you can try to determine the level of self-esteem using popular self-esteem tests adapted for the general public.

For this purpose, I chose simple test for self-assessment, which you can analyze yourself.

You are offered a series of questions to which you need to answer from the options presented. Each answer corresponds to a certain number of points, which you will need to calculate after passing the test.

Answer options

  • Almost always - 4
  • Often - 3
  • Happens - 2
  • Rare - 1
  • Never - 0

Self-Assessment Test Questions

  1. I am subject to needless worries.
  2. I need the support of my friends.
  3. I'm afraid to seem stupider than I am.
  4. I'm not sure about my future.
  5. I look worse than others.
  6. I often get upset because people don't understand me.
  7. I feel insecure if I have to talk to other people
  8. I don't live up to other people's expectations
  9. I often feel stiff.
  10. I'm always looking for trouble.
  11. I feel like I depend on people's opinions.
  12. It seems to me that people are discussing me when I leave the room.
  13. I'm not sure about my own safety.
  14. There is no one to whom I can tell what I think.
  15. When I do something successfully, other people don't give enough importance to it.

Analysis of the self-assessment test

Your result is less than 10 points . Unfortunately, you have signs of inflated self-esteem, you have something to work on. You often get involved in conflicts that arose from your own submission. People are scared off by your arrogance, which is why it is so difficult for you to make friends and close relationships. Try to correctly determine the reality of the level of your capabilities and claims.

Your score is over 30 points. Here, too, there is something to work on - in contrast to the example above, you clearly have low self-esteem. Try to treat yourself with great respect and faith in yourself. Trust people, and they will help you increase your self-esteem.

Your result is between 10 and 30 points. You can be congratulated - the adequacy and level of self-esteem you have in in perfect order. In a difficult situation, you are quite capable of coping with yourself and even helping those who are not so confident in themselves.

This self-esteem test, of course, cannot be considered an accurate diagnosis of your level, however, it will allow you to understand what criteria are used to determine self-esteem.

From myself I want to add - believe in yourself and your strength. Don't let other people's opinions and circumstances take over you. If you doubt the adequacy own self-esteem or want to increase its level, it is best to contact a specialist who will give individual recommendations and help you deal with the situation.

Remember: often the reason for our failures is not the inability to achieve what we want, but self-doubt.

Each person tends to constantly evaluate himself, his behavior and actions. This is necessary for harmonious development personality and relationships with others. The ability to give yourself correct assessment renders a huge impact on how society perceives a person, and on his life in general.

The concept of self-esteem in psychology

All people from time to time analyze their character, look for pluses and minuses in themselves. The concept of self-esteem in psychology is the ability of a person's consciousness to form an idea of ​​himself and his actions, as well as to judge his skills, abilities, personal qualities, advantages and disadvantages. Self-esteem allows people to be critical of themselves, set various goals and achieve them, measure their capabilities with the requirements in various areas of life think about actions and make informed decisions.

The ability to self-analyze big influence to shape people's behavior. Personal qualities such as uncertainty and determination, activity and restraint, sociability and isolation are directly dependent on self-esteem. A person's opinion of himself determines the attitude of others around him.

Types of self-esteem in psychology

What types exist? Depending on how correctly a person evaluates himself, the following main types of self-esteem in psychology can be distinguished: adequate and inadequate.

If a person's opinion of himself coincides with what he really is, then it is considered adequate. It should apply to all adults. Adequate self-esteem in psychology is the ability of an individual to more or less objectively form an opinion about his person.

In people with inadequate self-esteem, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthemselves is sharply at odds with what others think of them. At the same time, such an opinion can be overestimated or underestimated.

Depending on the susceptibility to the influence of external factors, stable and floating self-esteem are distinguished. Stable self-esteem in psychology is a person's unchanging opinion of himself in any situation. In cases where the idea of ​​oneself changes depending on mood, success or defeat, approval or condemnation of others, it is floating.

What influences the formation of self-esteem

Every person tends to compare himself to someone else. perfect way with who he would like to be. The coincidence of the real idea of ​​\u200b\u200bherself with the desired plays huge role in the formation of self-esteem. The further the true image is from the perfect one, the lower the person's opinion of himself.

A significant influence on the formation of self-esteem has an attitude towards the individual of others. Of particular importance are the opinions of the closest people: parents, relatives and friends.

The real achievements of a person in a particular field of activity also affect self-esteem. The higher personal success, topics better opinion a person about himself.

How do you instill positive self-esteem in your child?

All parents want to see their child prosperous and happy. How great results a person can achieve in life directly depends on self-esteem. To instill a positive self-esteem in a child, it is necessary to adhere to the recommendations given by psychology. A person's self-esteem begins to form in early childhood. For the baby, approval and encouragement from adults and their peers is important. If not, the child develops low self-esteem.

Children very clearly capture the attention to them from adults. If a child notices that he is being ignored, he gets the impression that he is not interested in others. In turn, this negatively affects his self-esteem. Thus, in order to form a positive opinion of the child about himself, he must constantly feel protected, significant and important.

What problems does poor self-esteem lead to?

When people do not know how to properly assess themselves, to adequately judge their strengths and weaknesses, they can have many problems. Both low and high self-esteem negatively affects a person's life.

When people tend to always make choices in the worst side believing that they are not worthy of another. This applies to finding a partner, work and much more. As a result, people experience constant dissatisfaction, but at the same time they are afraid to take action. decisive steps to somehow change the situation.

In psychology, this is when a person considers himself much better than he really is. it's the same a big problem for a person. First of all, it affects relationships with others. It is difficult for people to communicate with those who constantly put themselves above others, boast and exalt their person. As a rule, a person with too high self-esteem has very few friends.

signs and causes

It is important for any person to feel self-confidence. However, having too much self-image often does more harm than good.

Calculating a person with high self-esteem is quite easy. These people are very selfish. They always put their own interests above those of others. They love to talk about themselves, often interrupt and translate the topic of conversation if it is not interesting to them. They do not want to know the opinions of other people, they consider their point of view on any issue to be the only true one. A person with high self-esteem takes on difficult, sometimes impossible work with pleasure, and in cases of failure falls into despair and depression.

What leads to the formation of inflated self-esteem in people? First of all, this is a wrong upbringing. When parents indulge their child in everything, do not limit anything and are ready to fulfill all his desires at the first request, the child forms the opinion that he is the most main man in the world, and everyone should idolize and worship him.

How to learn to adequately evaluate yourself?

If you notice that your child has high self-esteem, it is urgent to take measures aimed at ensuring that he learns to form an adequate opinion about himself, otherwise it will be very difficult for him to build relationships with others later. First of all, it is worth limiting the praise of the baby, trying to explain in which situations success is his merit, and in which successful circumstances led to him.

Correcting high self-esteem in an adult is much more difficult. Such people most often do not see or do not want to see the problem, and, accordingly, do not want to deal with it. Explain to the person what inadequate self-esteem, almost impossible.

If you realize that your self-image is too high, you need to make considerable efforts to learn how to evaluate yourself adequately. Most importantly, you need to understand that everyone has the right to their opinion, and if it differs from yours, this does not mean at all that it is wrong. Learn to listen to others, make concessions, selflessly help people.

and its signs

Low self-esteem in psychology is a condition in which a person thinks of himself much worse than he really is. It leads to such problems as isolation, constraint, jealousy, envy, resentment.

The problem of many individuals is low self-esteem. The psychology of such people is such that they, as a rule, seek to get a job that requires a minimum degree of responsibility. When choosing a partner, they unconsciously attract people who only reinforce their self-doubt. They are prone to excessive self-criticism, focusing on their shortcomings. Such people often complain, consider themselves unlucky and helpless.

How to increase your self-esteem?

According to statistics, men are more likely to overestimate their self-image. Women, on the other hand, are more inclined to underestimate their merits, they are more likely to look for flaws in themselves - such is their psychology. is a very difficult problem for them.

As a rule, the reason for low self-esteem in women lies in dissatisfaction with their appearance or figure, as well as in hidden complexes caused by failures in personal relationships or career.

How to increase a woman's self-esteem? Psychology advises, first of all, to start concentrating on your merits. Think about what are your positive qualities? Why do you deserve better in life than you have? Every woman can find something good in herself. For example, someone cooks well, someone sings and dances beautifully, someone is endowed with a list of his positive qualities it is necessary to repeat as often as possible so that they are deposited at the subconscious level.

To increase self-esteem, try to communicate with people who respect and support you. Keep track of your appearance Dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident. Raising your self-esteem can be very difficult, the main thing is not to give up and believe that you will succeed.

The concept of "self-esteem"

The concept of "self-esteem" applies to each of us. Already from the word itself it is clear that a person evaluates himself, that is, he evaluates his personal qualities.

An interesting fact is that the formation of self-esteem in varying degrees all sorts of external factors. In the case of low self-esteem, a person faces problems both domestic and emotional, psychological nature. To avoid all sorts of troubles associated with self-esteem, it is important to achieve harmony with your own Self and become happy.

Barriers to Self-Esteem Growth

First you need to understand what prevents people from being self-confident. It must be said that the formation of a person's self-esteem is primarily influenced by the attitude of parents to children, as well as features in the process of education. The feeling that something is wrong with you can arise as a reaction to certain life situations.

In the case when a person cannot cope with the pressure of the surrounding world, his condition gradually becomes worse and worse. As a result, it may occur.

The most common reasons that are barriers to improving self-esteem:

  • the environment constantly criticizes you;
  • you are focused on constant defeat;
  • endless comparison of oneself with the people around;
  • you set high standards for yourself;
  • your environment has a negative attitude.

Indeed, most people only oppress, they are not able to cheer, inspire hope and confidence. For this reason, in psychology, the issues of changing the self-esteem of a person and the people who surround him are very closely related.

Imagine that you are constantly told: “this is bad”, “this is wrong”, “it’s not right”. Naturally, over time, you will believe in these words.

But you should also remember that no matter how you act and what you do, you will always be criticized. It's unavoidable. Try to avoid those criticisms and comments that have no objective basis.

Self-Esteem Techniques


To get your self-esteem to the level you need, you can use various ways and techniques recommended by experts. In the case when a person realizes that he has a problem, he does not have to contact a psychologist or psychiatrist at all.

I bring to your attention the most common methods for solving this issue.

  1. Stop constantly criticizing yourself and comparing yourself to other people. There will always be people in your life whose personal qualities are superior to yours. With constant comparison, there will be only insurmountable rivals around you.
  2. Let go of the past. What's done can't be undone or fixed. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Get rid of guilt. Never blame yourself or speak negatively about yourself.
  3. Repeat daily. Only positive statements in their address lead to an increase in self-esteem. You deserve praise and compliments. Accept them with gratitude. When you say “nothing special,” etc., you subconsciously lower your worth and reject what was said to you.
  4. Get busy. Personal development can begin with an analysis of what has been accomplished. Learn from every day you live, even from mistakes. All this is your life, your choice, your experience. Read, watch educational videos, learn something new.
  5. Analyze your surroundings. Try to connect with those who are attuned to the personal and professional growth. Pessimists tend to suppress the impulses of others. Protect yourself from contact with like people so that your psyche does not suffer from communicating with them.
  6. Make a list of positive things. Remember your achievements and victories, write them down and be sure to reread this list from time to time. Also write a list of your positive qualities. Minimum 20 pieces. Studies show that regular reading of these records is a way to increase self-esteem through feelings of joy and pride in oneself.
  7. Learn to selflessly do good to others. You don't need to ask for anything in return. Help others, encourage and encourage them. The absence of claims for a reward is another step towards personal growth in one's own eyes. Take pleasure in the good deeds you have done.
  8. Having a hobby or other hobby. Do what you have a soul for. If your work brings you pleasure, then you are doing it well, which means that self-esteem from this only increases. Whether it's a hobby or a main job, the main thing is that you personally like it.
  9. Take responsibility for everything that happens to you and does not happen. Your life is in your hands. Only you yourself have the right to plan it. Don't look at other people. Make your own decisions. Do not wait for a reaction from others, even those closest to you. Make your choice, embody your plan and do not be afraid of mistakes.
  10. Start working on yourself now, this minute, don't delay! Your self-esteem will not grow by itself if you just sit still. Accept every challenge thrown by fate. After all, in action you will have positive attitude, self-esteem will increase, and as a result, self-esteem.
  11. Look at this one free training. It will definitely help you.

This list can be continued for a long time. However, based on the results of the diagnostics of specialists, people who adhered to these points (not even all, but selectively) achieved great results in increasing their own self-esteem.

Summing up


As you already understood, in order to increase self-esteem, you need to overcome barriers and take action. The most important thing is a positive attitude and faith in yourself. Keep records, make plans and record what has already been done. Work on yourself and you will succeed.

By the way, you can check your level of self-esteem.

Thank you, dear reader, for your attention to this important topic. I sincerely hope that the information provided was helpful.

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The material was prepared by Yulia Gintsevich.