The 4 types of self-esteem: do you value yourself?

Basic characteristics of the different forms of self-esteem.

There are different types of self-esteem depending on whether it is high or low and stable or unstable. Self-esteem is one of the most relevant factors for personal well-being and a key to relate to the environment around us in a positive way.

Since the different types of self-esteem have their peculiarities, in today's article we will review their characteristics.

Self-esteem and its relationship with well-being

Despite the fact that the concept of self-esteem has been one of the most one of the most confused, questioned and analyzed throughout the throughout the history of psychology, most experts indicate that it is an element that is innately present in each individual and that is exposed to multiple modifications throughout our lives.

Self-esteem evolves and develops due to the relationship with the world, and is constantly changing as it is linked to societal change. Different social and cultural contexts will correspond with different perceptions of what we consider to be healthy self-esteem.

The 4 types of self-esteem

As we have mentioned, self-esteem needs to be nurtured, to varying degrees, from the outside. Although the foundations are built during childhood, self-esteem is not unalterable at other stages of life.

It is important to note that self-esteem is not the same as self-confidence. Self-confidence (also called self-efficacy) is related to the specific goals and objectives that we set for ourselves, while self-esteem refers to the global valuation of ourselves.

Since self-efficacy refers to the confidence in one's confidence in one's ability For example, someone may think he/she is very good at playing tennis, but may have low self-esteem: he/she would still like to be taller or have a better physique, but is confident in his/her ability to beat his/her opponents on a tennis court. Self-efficacy could positively affect an individual's self-esteem if he considers it a priority in his life.

• To learn more about self-confidence, you can visit our article "Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy: do you believe in yourself?".

Factors that explain good (or bad) self-esteem

It seems that there are 4 relevant factors that affect self-esteem, they are the following:

• The history of triumphs and the position achieved through the recognition that triumphs bring.

• The areas associated with the different triumphs, as long as they are significant. as long as they are significant to the person.

• The respect, acceptance and interest that the individual receives from the people he/she considers important in his/her life.

• The control and defense against negative consequences and implications.. That is, the internal or external attribution that the person makes of negative events.

In his book Self-esteem and identity. Narcissism and Social ValuesLuis Hornstein proposes 4 types of self-esteem. According to the author, the types of self-esteem vary because the valuation of oneself can be more or less high and more or less stable.

Here are the four types of self-esteem we present the four types of self-esteem and their characteristics.and their characteristics.

High and stable self-esteem

External circumstances and life events have little influence on self-esteem. People with this type of self-esteem develop in an open way, since they do not need to they do not need to defend their image, it defends itself. In addition, the person is able to defend his or her point of view without becoming destabilized.

2. High and unstable self-esteem

People with this type of self-esteem have high self-esteem but are unable to keep it constant. Competitive contexts can have a destabilizing effect. They respond with a critical attitude to failureThey respond with a critical attitude to failure, as these are perceived as threats. The individual will show conviction in defending his point of view, but will not accept other points of view and will tend to monopolize the floor in a discussion.

The instability of self-esteem leads to placing self-esteem as a central concern and requires preserving it at any cost and appealing to an aggressive attitude (to promote it) or a passive one (to protect it).

3. Low and stable self-esteem

In cases where there is a low and stable self-esteem, external events (whether favorable or not) do not alter the self-esteem of the subject, who does not make an effort to promote his or her self-image and undervalues him or herself.

Individuals with this type of self-esteem are indecisive and have a great fear of making mistakes.. These people do not defend their points of view since the evaluation of themselves is always negative, they believe that they are not up to the task.

This type of self-esteem is very frequent in people with depressive tendenciesThey usually do not perceive their personal achievements as such because of their pessimistic mentality, assuming that they are the result of luck or chance.

4. Low and unstable self-esteem

People with this type of self-esteem tend to be sensitive and influenced by events. sensitive and influenced by external events. As soon as they face a successful event, their self-esteem goes up, but as soon as the euphoria of the moment ends, their level of self-esteem goes down again.

In other words, this type of self-esteem is defined by its lack of solidity and instability. is defined by its lack of solidity and the instability it presents, which makes it highly sensitive.This makes them highly sensitive to all kinds of events, no matter how irrelevant they may seem from a rational point of view.

Certain types of narcissistic people, for example, are characterized among other things by having a low self-esteem and being highly dependent on the perceived opinion of others.

• To learn more about this kind of self-esteem, I recommend you read this article: "Low self-esteem? When you become your own worst enemy"

Bonus: Inflated self-esteem

Other authors also speak of a type of self-esteem that is detrimental to well-being, the inflated self-esteem. But what is inflated self-esteem?

The person with inflated self-esteem is incapable of listening to othersmuch less to accept or acknowledge a mistake. Their self-perception is so inflated that they believe they are better than the rest. When things get complicated, they do not recognize mistakes and immediately blame others. This type of attitude generates negative behaviors since they are not capable of self-criticism. they are not capable of self-criticism and correcting mistakes.. In general, these individuals belittle others and adopt hostile behavior towards them.

Bibliographical references:

• Branden, N. (2001). The psychology of self-esteem: a revolutionary approach to self-understanding that launched a new era in modern psychology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Coopersmith, S. (1967). The Antecedents of Self-Esteem, New York, W. H. Freeman.

• Hill, S. E. & Buss, D. M. (2006). "The Evolution of Self-Esteem." In Michael Kernis, (Ed.), Self Esteem: Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives....

• Mruk, C. (2006). Self-Esteem research, theory, and practice: Toward a positive psychology of self-esteem (3rd ed.). New York: Springer.

• Twenge, Jean M. (2007). Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before. Free Press.