SIX REASONS YOU HAVE LOW SELF- ESTEEM
People mostly experience low self-esteem due to factors arising from their childhood experiences. When a person does not have good childhood memories or experienced traumas growing up, these can affect their sense of self-worth. In this article, you will discover the six reasons people have low self-esteem.
SIX REASONS YOU HAVE LOW SELF-ESTEEM
1. CRITICAL CHILDHOOD
When a person receives critical treatment as a child from significant people in their life, this experience affects their self-worth. The critical treatment received could be from people close to them, especially from parents. This is because parents are the first social contact of a child, and the type of upbringing a child experiences from their parent plays an integral role in the child’s personality.
2. INTROJECTION
As a result of the critical childhood experienced by a child, the child grows up believing this as their reality. For example, if a child is often told that they are not smart or are ugly, they tend to believe this. Such a child will grow up mirroring this and internally representing these experiences. This experience influences the child’s sense of self.
3. IMPAIRED SENSE OF SELF
These critical early experiences weaken and damage the sense of self of a child. As such, the child develops an impaired sense of self. It is because the child is used to taking on other people’s perceptions of themselves. And because the child does not have an identity, they lose their sense of self.
4. UNHEALTHY FEELING OF INFERIORITY
A person who does not have a healthy sense of self will always compare themselves to other people. They always want to be like someone else or have what someone else has. They always feel that other people are better than them due to low self-esteem. Everyone experiences the feeling of inferiority at some point in their lives, and this is okay. It becomes unhealthy when they compare themselves to other people instead of comparing themselves to their ideal selves.
5. THE IDEAL SELF
The ideal self is the best version of oneself and who one aspires to become. A person needs to identify these. To identify one’s ideal self, questions such as what are my highly prized wishes, and who do I desire to be should be asked. These should be your motivators.
6. SELF-ACCEPTANCE
To overcome the feeling of low self-esteem, a person must first love and accept themselves. It is important to accept yourself in the present while working towards becoming your ideal self. Learn to love yourself irrespective of your flaws and development points.
CONCLUSION
No matter how unworthy a person thinks they are, there is always points of strength. You have to discover these and celebrate them. Celebrating yourself makes you feel good. The more you feel good about yourself, the more your self-esteem increases.
Further Reading
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/traversing-the-inner-terrain/201306/identity-and-introjection
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