The definition of self esteem is pretty complicated to explain because of its many interpretations. Did you know that there have been a number of conflicting explanations of self esteem?
Many of these conflicts stem from the different angles self esteem has been approached through. Its research has been approached through psychological, social, and behavioral angles, which makes it difficult to define self esteem.
Which approach is correct? It turns out that they all are.
Self esteem is influenced by your mental and emotional state (psychological). As a result, your mental and emotional state has a tremendous influence on the actions or behavior in your social and personal life.
For example, thinking that you are a very good cook helps you to feel a sense of pride in your ability. Knowing and feeling this will perhaps motivate you to take your cooking skills to another level.(this builds self esteem) You may apply to a culinary arts school to further expand your gift or decide to open up your own restaurant.
On the contrary, if you think to yourself that you are a horrible cook you will feel like a failure in this particular aspect of your life, that is if you have very low self esteem. This will result in you depending on other means such as pre-cooked frozen dinners, take-out food, or a parent/other to cook your food.
On the other hand, if you have high self esteem you may think to yourself that you are a horrible cook. Yet, you still feel a sense of accomplishment because an attempt was made. Instead of avoiding cooking all together you make as many attempts to become the exceptional cook you know that you can be.
So, how can the definition of self esteem be summed up? The National Association of Self Esteem defines it as, “The experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.”
Being Capable of Meeting Life’s Challenges. ( these are the behaviors or social aspects associated with self-esteem)This portion of self esteem means:
-being confident in your ability to accomplish what is expected of you
-truly believing in your ability to make wise judgments
-strongly believing that your mental faculties are functioning well enough to make the best assessment in a given situation
Being Worthy of Happiness. This portion of self esteem means:
-following the basic human principles of peace, truth, love, non-violence, and correct conduct in a way that builds truthfulness and joy in your life. (These are the mental and emotional aspects associated with the definition of self-esteem)
Now that you understand the definition of self esteem you can now take the next step and help identify what needs to be done for you to live a healthy and happy life.
Resources
http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/what.php
