What Does Self Esteem Mean?
May 1st, 2006 (Self Esteem)
What exactly do we mean when we use the term self-esteem? In everyday conversation and in the professional literature the term is often thrown about loosely, used interchangeably with self-respect, self-love and a sense of self-worth, and also with the term “self-concept.” In fact, though, these terms are not all interchangeable.
The self-concept or self-image is the set of beliefs and images we all have and hold to be true of ourselves. By contrast, our level of self-esteem (or self-respect, self-love or self-worth) is the measure of how much we like and approve of our self-concept. Or, as we’ve heard it put, “self-esteem is the reputation you have with yourself.”
A person’s self-concept will usually contain a wide variety of images and beliefs. Some of these are simply statements of facts whose accuracy is easily verifiable: I am a man; I am tall; I am black; I am a mother; I am a student; I am a woman; I am a secretary; I am poor. Others refer to less tangible aspects of the self, and their accuracy is not so easy to verify: I am smart; I am ugly; I am incompetent; I am sexy; I am unlovable; I am no good; I am worthless.