A key to our personality: self-esteem

How is high or low self-esteem expressed through personality?

When talking about self-esteem as a fundamental component of personal growth and happiness, it is necessary to explain what it is and from whom or what it is nourished for its construction. Therefore, here we will see the most important aspects of the self-esteem that have repercussions in the personality..

The link between personality and self-esteem.

We will begin by explaining that the self-esteem is the result of the evaluation that we carry out of us same by perceiving ourselves in comparison with others and at the same time it is the way we interpret how others value us. These aspects determine "how we feel" about ourselves and our characteristics.

It is important to explain that self-esteem develops while being influenced by self-concept, which is what we think about ourselves, and temperament, which is the intensity with which we react to and handle moods and emotions.(which is what we think about ourselves), and temperament, which is the intensity with which we react and manage moods and emotions.

Self-esteem, at the behavioral level, has three areas, which we will describe through the following questions:

• What do we feel? physiological area
• What do we think? Cognitive area
• What do we do? Motor area

Dimensions of self-esteem

In turn, self-esteem has different dimensions, among which are:

1. Familiar

This refers to the responses that the family group gives back to the child, the responses by which the child perceives himself/herself as part of the family.It refers to the responses by which the child perceives him/herself as part of the family. Let us exemplify this dimension from a negative response, understanding that in another context it can be positive; "Arturo (3 years old), why don't you stay still watching the movie like your sister (8 years old)?" Arturo just wants to move, but in the end he ends up interpreting the following; "I am not able to stay still like my sister, I am bad because I move and therefore I am the unruly one at home".

2. Affective

Continuing along the lines of the previous example, we can say that from this dimension, by valuing himself as unruly, he considers that he is less loved than his sister. The affective dimension responds to how one sees oneself and how one defines one's personality traits..

3. Physical

Assumes the valuation of everything that has to do with the body and its dexterities.. If Arturo looks tall, because he is taller than his classmates, he may consider his height as a strength for playing basketball.

4. Social

Responds to the fact that If we feel loved by others, this feeling gives us the idea of belonging to the group and allows us to cope with the different demands of the social environment. and in turn allows us to cope with different demands of the social environment.

5. Academic

It refers to whether we feel capable or not to perform a task. It should be clarified that this feeling is based on our aptitude as good or bad students.

Differences between high and low self-esteem

All these dimensions make up the interpretation that will give rise to what we call self-esteem, which can be high or low; the distinction we will discuss below.

Why is it important to make a high or low value interpretation of our self-esteem, or that of our children, students, etc.? Because when the self-esteem is high, the positive valuation of oneself gives rise to the capacity to face different situations in the following ways:

• Thoughts have a positive interpretation, seeing oneself capable of accomplishing challenges, tasks, etc.
• Thoughts are optimistic, validating competence to do what is proposed.
• One has confidence in oneself.
• The activities are carried out with autonomy and from their own initiative.
• By being cooperative, skills are developed to promote socialization.
• They recognize and accept mistakes and errors, being able to find a solution.
• The feeling of pride for their efforts is manifested beyond the results or successes and that is why they do not give up when pursuing their goals.

All these abilities, which are characteristic of a high self-esteem, allow us to face new or stressful situations and overcome them by seeking creative solutions. and overcome them by seeking creative solutions to the problems that may arise.

However, what happens when self-esteem is high? what happens when self-esteem is low? Low self-esteem is manifested by the following typical characteristics of people who have it:

• Fear of failure or error.
• They do not trust in their abilities, they value themselves little.
• They have negative thoughts, complaining and criticizing.
• They are inhibited and unsociable.
• Faced with new challenges, they block and abandon the creative search for a solution.
• Finding nothing to motivate them, they are often sad.

Conclusion

We can consider, as a result of the understanding of what low self-esteem implies, that that fostering a high self-esteem is fundamental for personal growth, as well as for their as well as for their formation. In fact, in children and adolescents, self-esteem directly influences their learning, interpersonal relationships and self-concept.

According to statistics, in Spain 2% of the child population suffers from depression and this is directly related to self-esteem. Therefore, it is necessary to create a space for training and guidance for children, adolescents and adults to form a secure self-esteem, feeling valuable and capable and this ultimately translates into being a happy person.

Thus, self-esteem overlaps with all areas of well-being and affects the remission or maintenance of common psychological problems. Knowing how to cultivate a good self-concept not only helps to commit to psychotherapy treatment; it also facilitates the development of new and exciting ways of living life.