Okay, the reason behind this update is because I feel like I myself really need the insights on self-esteem and going into research for it in a way helps me deal with my issues with self-esteem, or rather a low self-esteem.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once stated that:
The greatest evil that can befall a man is that he should come to think ill of himself.
Goethe
And what is quite unfortunate, is I believe the many of us have been befallen by this evil. Many of us consciously or unconsciously tend to think ill of ourselves, which leads to many of us having extremely low self-esteem.
One of the psychologists who made the observation of how prevalent low-self esteem is among the masses is Nathaniel Branden. He went on to make the claim that the lack of self-esteem was actually the primary reason why many individuals actually fail to ever achieve success and any fulfillment in life, writing in his book, Honoring the Self:
Of all the judgments that we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves, for that judgment touches the very center of our existence.
Nathaniel Branden
According to Nathaniel self-esteem is the disposition to feel that one is capable of successfully functioning in life, which involves one having the conviction that one is capable of withstanding the punches and blows of fate, and in the process sculpt a meaningful and fulfilling existence.
While the lack of self-esteem is experiencing ourselves as "inappropriate to life;" living in fear that somehow we are "wrong as a person" and feeling incapable of achieving a meaningful and fulfilling life.
According to Branden low self-esteem can be the root of very common issues such as anxiety, depression, and the general feeling of apathy and lack of motivation in life many of us experience.
The fear that one may be "wrong as a person," is an intense fear, which many of us choose to repress and ignore assuming it doesn't exist. Branden thoughts were that without the right inner resources, confronting the fear and actually overcoming it was rather impossible.
We can all agree as is the case with all fears, insecurities, and anxieties that we try to ignore and shield away from the spotlight of our awareness, this fear tends to grow stronger and with time ends up taking control of many aspects of our lives and our personalities. In the extreme cases, the fear taking complete control which renders one fearful of even existence itself"
To the extent that a person suffers from poor self-esteem, his or her consciousness is ruled by fear: fear of other people, fear of the real or imagined facts about the self that have been evaded or repressed. There is fear of the external world and fear of the internal world…Fear thus becomes the central motivating force within the personality.
Nathaniel Branden
For one to develop their self-esteem and be able to overcome the low self-esteem, one must confront and overcome this fear, but it is worth noting that such a confrontation won't always be an easy one, Branden
calling it a:
struggle of heroic proportions.
Nathaniel Branden
One must learn how to replace one's fear of self and existence as a whole with "armor fati", a love of fate:
The principle that distinguishes the basic motivations of high self-esteem from that of low self-esteem is the principle of motivation by love versus motivation by fear: the love of self and of existence versus the fear that one is unfit for existence. Motivation by confidence, which places its primary emphasis on the possibility of enjoyment, versus motivation by terror, which places its primary emphasis on the avoidance of pain.
Nathaniel Branden
In my next update, I will share the pillars which Nathaniel Branden espoused as helpful aiding the process of recovering a sense of respect for oneself.
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