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Self esteem is overrated: Decades of "me" generations bogus pop psychology - Printable Version

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Self esteem is overrated: Decades of "me" generations bogus pop psychology - C C - Jan 26, 2021

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/self-esteem-is-overrated/

EXCERPTS (Harriet Hall): Most people believe that fostering self-esteem in children will have many benefits, from happiness to better school performance, but that belief is not supported by the evidence. We are encouraged to reward children and not punish them, to praise them not only for real accomplishments but also for trivial successes and even failures (“everybody’s a winner,” “Good for you; you did your best”).

As a result, we are in danger of becoming a society of entitled people with unrealistic views of themselves. To cope with reality, people need to confront both their negative and their positive traits. If every experience in one’s life seems successful, how can one develop the healthy psychological skills to cope with adversity?

Some people believe that virtually every social problem can be traced to a lack of self-love. In the 1980s, it was thought that programs to increase self-esteem would produce a huge financial return. It was expected to reduce welfare dependency, unwanted pregnancy, school failure, crime, drug addiction, and other problems and would save large amounts of taxpayers’ money. This didn’t pan out.

The Association for Psychological Science has published an extensive review of the evidence. It is long and complex but well worth reading. [...] The review found “no evidence that modern Western societies are suffering from an epidemic of low self-esteem" ... People tend to rate themselves as above average...

[...] occupational and academic success may boost self-esteem rather than the reverse. Efforts to boost students’ self-esteem have not improved their performance and have sometimes made it worse. IQ and social class seem to correlate better with school performance than self-esteem. [...] People with high self-esteem believe they are more attractive and likeable than others, but objective measures don’t bear that out. ... And “Those with high self-esteem show stronger in-group favoritism, which may increase prejudice and discrimination.”

[...] High self-esteem ... doesn’t keep children from smoking, taking drugs, drinking, or having sex. It does seem to reduce the risk of bulimia in women. People with high self-esteem rate themselves as better than other people at all interpersonal skills, but those who know them report that they are not. ... Self-esteem is a matter of perception, not of reality... (MORE)
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Cynical Sindee: This hasn't just potentially contributed to Trump-like personalities (narcissists), but to all the vociferous "I'm special" categories of call-out culture twerps who want society to bend over backwards to accommodate their indulged sensitivities and crafted identity fetishes.


RE: Self esteem is overrated: Decades of "me" generations bogus pop psychology - Syne - Jan 26, 2021

(Jan 26, 2021 08:42 PM)C C Wrote: Cynical Sindee: This hasn't just potentially contributed to Trump-like personalities, but to all the vociferous "I'm special" categories of call-out culture twerps who want society to bend over backwards to accommodate their indulged sensitivities and crafted identity fetishes.

No, Trump wasn't raised in the age of fostering self-esteem in children, which explains how he could actually withstand all the hate he got. Those raised with participation trophies can't bear to be criticized without seeking to censor people, as they see disagreement as a personal attack.