February is Annual Boost Self-Esteem Month. To observe it, Kindness-Compassion-and-Coaching.com will publish a series of posts about the many aspects of this intriguing subject. What are the true components of self-esteem? How can we assess our own sense of self? Identify our own challenges? Work towards a healthier mindset? And more.
The research revealed this is a very complex concept. Unfortunately, this complexity is not widely discussed in publications and on-line platforms. Google searches confirmed it’s not easy to find all the information you need for a comprehensive review in one place. So, we decided to do something about that.
What is Self-Esteem?
We’ve all heard the term, and likely have our own understanding of what it means. But what is the actual, scientific, psychological definition?
According to the research, self-esteem is a fundamental aspect of our psychological well-being that shapes our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
It also influences how we perceive ourselves, interact with others, and navigate life’s challenges.
More broadly, self-esteem refers to our overall evaluation and perception of ourselves. It encompasses our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about our worthiness, competence, and value as individual people.
Significance of Self-Esteem
Self-esteem plays a critical role in many aspects of our lives. A healthy sense of self promotes positive emotions, self-acceptance, and resilience. It helps us manage stress, cope with setbacks, and maintain emotional balance.
It also influences how we relate to others.
When we have a healthy sense of self, we are more likely to establish healthy boundaries, form meaningful connections, and engage in fulfilling relationships.
Self-esteem impacts our belief in our abilities, motivation, and willingness to pursue goals. With a healthy mindset, we are more likely to take risks, persevere in the face of challenges, and achieve our aspirations.
Low self-esteem can also contribute to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Components of Self-Esteem
Our own self-esteem is made up of two primary components: self-worth and self-efficacy. Each of these components is driven by a wide variety of factors, which we will get into later in this series.
Self-Worth
The first major component is our sense of self-worth. Self-worth represents our belief in our inherent value and deservingness of love, respect, and happiness. It forms a significant portion of the foundation of self-esteem and shapes our sense of identity and self-acceptance.
Self-worth refers to the belief and recognition of our inherent value as individuals.
It is an inner understanding that we are worthy of love, happiness, respect, and fulfillment, irrespective of external factors such as achievements, appearance, or societal expectations. Self-worth is an internal measure of our self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Self-Efficacy
The second major component of self-esteem is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, a concept coined by renowned psychologist Albert Bandura, is an essential psychological construct that holds the key to unlocking our potential and achieving success.
Self-efficacy differs from self-worth in significant ways.
The concept of self-efficacy focuses on our belief about our external competencies and accomplishments. It represents our opinion regarding our own to accomplish tasks, overcome challenges, and produce desired outcomes. Our sense of self-efficacy influences our motivation, resilience, and willingness to take on new endeavors.
Understanding the Complexities of Self-Worth and Self-Efficacy
When we consider self-worth vs. self-efficacy, it helps to understand why it is not simple to determine whether or not we or others have low, high or healthy self-esteem. For example, some of us have a strong internal sense of our worthiness yet low confidence in our abilities. Yet some of us have low self-worth but are strong achievers and believe in our ability to meet challenges and overcome adversity.
Understanding the difference between self-worth and self-efficacy, the drivers of each, and how the two contribute to our overall sense of self can be key to our own mental health and can provide keen insights into the mental health of our loved ones.
What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is a critical element in our psychological well-being, impacting our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
By understanding its components, we can develop a deeper understanding of our own psychological profile as well as the profile of others.
This understanding can help us to better define our own state of mind, our needs and wants, and how we may best nurture ourselves or others.
We are all worth of love, respect, and happiness. Fostering healthy self-esteem in ourselves can help us to recognize and embody this truth and ultimately achieve a happier, more fulfilling sense of well-being.
The second post in the series is: Pillars of Self-Esteem: Secrets to Skyrocket Personal Growth.
If you are interested in learning more, please visit KindCompassCoach and enter your email address so you don’t miss a post in this month-long series.
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
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