On Self-Esteem "To begin with a definition: Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in the efficacy of our mind, in our abiity to think. By extension, it is confidence in our ability to learn, make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond effectively to change. It is also the experience that success, achievement, fulfillment — happiness — are right and natural for us. The survival-value of such confidence is obvious; so is the danger when it is missing. Self-esteem is not the euphoria or buoyancy that may be temporarily induced by a drug, a compliment, or a love affair. It is not an illusion or hallucination. If it is not grounded in reality, if it is not built over time through the appropriate operation of mind, it is not self-esteem. The root of our need for self-esteem is the need for a consciousness to learn to trust itself. And the root of the need to learn such trust is the fact that consciousness is volitional: we have the choice to think or not to think. We control the switch that turns consciousness brighter or dimmer. We are not rational — that is, reality-focused — automatically. This means that whether we learn to operate our mind in such a way as to make ourselves appropriate to life is ultimately a function of our choices. Do we strive for consciousness or for its opposite? For rationality or its opposite? For coherence and clarity or their opposite? For truth or its opposite?"--Nathaniel Branden Related Articles On Self-Esteem Related Books On Self-Esteem Related Audio On Self-Esteem Related Items Instructions for performing sentence completions are provided here for those interested in Dr. Branden's powerful technique for increased self-understanding. Details Program for Increasing Self-responsibility is reproduced here from Dr. Branden's book Taking Responsibility. Details Program for Enhancing Self-esteem is reproduced here from Dr. Branden's article "Working with Self-esteem in Psychotherapy" (see below).Details Working with Self-esteem in Psychotherapy. This article originally appeared in Hatherleigh's Quarterly Series Directions in Clinical Psychology, and summarizes Dr. Branden's views on the definition of self-esteem, its role in everyday psychological well-being, and the six practices that promote strong self-esteem. Though aimed at professional psychologists, the article is accessible to lay audiences. Read Article Download PDF