Addiction and low self-esteem. Low self-esteem

Self-esteem seriously affects our lives, and more precisely on the development of personality and a sense of happiness. A person will not be happy if he has self-confidence or has low self-esteem. Is it possible to enjoy life when you are constantly haunted by feelings of guilt and dissatisfaction with your personality?

The impact of self-esteem on life

Self-esteem is a method of personal perception of one's shortcomings and strengths. If it is at a negative level, this is the path to depressive states, we pay for it with a depressed state, apathy, and reluctance to rejoice. And if it is too high, then this leads to euphoria with fantastic plans, inflated demands and disappointments. The influence of self-esteem can be seen in all areas of life:

Self-esteem can help you realize your plans, or it can destroy you. In any case, balance is necessary. Having an inflated ego is not beneficial.

• career. Hard to imagine career if a person is embarrassed to talk about his own expectations;
• self-realization. People with low self-esteem have questions like: “Am I worthy? Where do I get the skills for this?”;
• sexuality and love: “True love is inaccessible to such a gray mouse”;
• relationship. People think that they do a lot, or, on the contrary, they want too little.

If desired, the list goes on for a long time, but the result is the same - self-esteem affects our entire life and quality.

Reasons for low self-esteem

The reasons for a person are sought in childhood. Negative factors accumulate, they become the cause of problems in mature age, difficulties in relationships with people, inability to find a favorite activity, friends.

A familiar situation for every person is the situation in childhood, when a child drops a plate or breaks it, and adults immediately scold him for it and say offensive words. Each adult personality was small.

If we do not take into account self-esteem, which is established in childhood, then there is another dangerous example. In an adult, self-esteem can suddenly fall “below the plinth.” The basis for such a case is negative events in life: financial losses, dismissal, insolvency long period time. But reality is not the only thing that influences a person’s self-esteem; the type of temperament is one of the major factors. and sanguine people do not suffer from low self-esteem, they have stability in this. But choleric people suffer from surges in self-esteem.

How to increase self-esteem

So, you are confident in your low self-esteem. It’s great that you noticed and acknowledged this and are interested in how to increase self-esteem. The road is not easy, but it will help you change your own life and inner world. The environment will open up for you again, you will get what you deserve. You have no idea how many interesting and wonderful things are inaccessible only because you are not confident in your abilities.

First, understand your own pros and cons. Make sure of your positive qualities, strong character traits that will receive positive evaluations and respect.

Try playing a simple game with yourself: every day you need to do 3 things that bring satisfaction, make plans, implement them, live with good mood. In the initial stages, you may need the assistance of a psychologist, but do not let low self-esteem become a hindrance and prevent you from seeking help. You must overcome yourself, then fortune will turn to you, everything around will be filled with bright light and warmth.

Remember all your successes, successful deeds and projects. Secure this feeling, don’t be afraid to experience it again. Understand the reason for failures; you should not assume that serious achievements and benefits are not available to you. Be sure to find a person who will sincerely rejoice at your even small successes. They will be your parents, your soulmate, true friend.

Highlight your own strengths and identify your weaknesses. Don’t get hung up on the latter, because to increase self-esteem it is important to understand that you deserve the best and can achieve heights in life.

If you see that someone close to you is suffering from such a problem, then it is important to provide support. Take the time to talk, listen and understand his thoughts, praise him for all his achievements, do not criticize him or compare him with others. Remain a true close friend. People who have loving friends, never suffer from low self-esteem.

But before you start fighting to raise other people's self-esteem, think about it - what is your goal? Do you fully understand how a person will change? What is your motivation - saving the planet or helping people? You will be responsible for all events; sometimes a situation occurs when a person does not appreciate the efforts directed at him.

Introduction

The purpose of this work is to trace the relationship between self-esteem and social behavior personalities in the works of domestic and foreign authors.

The subject of this study is the relationship between self-esteem and social behavior of an individual.

The object of the study is self-esteem.

1) Conducting a theoretical and methodological review of the literature

2) Discussion of the results of theoretical and empirical research

3) Generalization of the results obtained

4)Formulation of main conclusions

I .Self-esteem as a factor of human personality and its origins

Self-esteem is the value and significance that an individual attributes to himself as a whole and to individual aspects of his personality, activities, and behavior (No. 16, p. 343). Self-esteem acts as a relatively stable structural formation, a component of self-concept, self-knowledge, and as a process of self-esteem. The basis of self-esteem is the individual’s system of personal meanings, the system of values ​​adopted by him. It is considered as a central personal formation and a central component of the self-concept.

In the studies of A.Z. Zak (No. 8, pp. 106 – 108), self-esteem is presented as a means of analysis and awareness by the subject of his own ways of solving problems, on which an internal plan of action, a generalized scheme of an individual’s activity, is built.

T. Shibutani (No. 22, p. 220) speaks about self-esteem this way: “If personality is an organization of values, then the core of such functional unity is self-esteem.”

The leading role is given to self-esteem within the framework of the study of problems of self-awareness: it is characterized as the core of this process, an indicator of the individual level of its development, its personal aspect, organically included in the process of self-knowledge. Self-esteem is associated with the evaluative functions of self-knowledge, which absorb the emotional and value attitude of the individual towards himself, the specifics of his understanding of himself (http:psi.lib.ru/detsad/sbor/saodshv.htm).

B.G. Ananyev (No. 1) expressed the opinion that self-esteem is the most complex and multifaceted component of self-awareness (a complex process of indirect knowledge of oneself, unfolded in time, associated with movement from single, situational images through the integration of similar situational images into a holistic education - the concept own Self (No. 26)), which is a direct expression of the assessment of other persons participating in the development of the individual.

Self-awareness belongs to the integral subject and serves him to organize his own activities, his relationships with others and his communication with them (http://azps.ru/articles/tezis/40so.html).

Self-knowledge is a complex multi-level process, individually unfolding over time. Conventionally, two stages can be distinguished: knowledge of one’s own characteristics through knowledge of the characteristics of another, comparison and differentiation; at this stage psychoanalysis is included (http://azps.ru/articles/tezis/40so.html).

The final product of self-knowledge I am an image or I am a concept, i.e. the totality of an individual’s ideas about himself, coupled with their assessment (R. Burns) (http://azps.ru/articles/tezis/40so.html).

Self-esteem is one of the aspects of the self-concept (one’s own idea of ​​oneself or self-image, that is, a set of opinions about one’s health, appearance, character, influence on others, abilities and shortcomings; since it is based on one’s own opinion, it does not always correspond to reality ). A person with high self-esteem perceives himself in a positive light, while with low self-esteem the self-concept is negative (No. 10, p. 284).

Self structure - concepts

I.Yu. Kulagina, V.N. Kolyutsky (No. 12, p. 294) say that the formation of the “I” concept is the most important stage in the development of self-awareness.

Self-esteem is also considered as an element of self-attitude, along with self-respect, self-sympathy, self-acceptance, etc. (No. 17, p. 124). This is how I.S. Kon speaks (No. 11, p. 109) about self-respect, defining it as the final dimension of the “I”, expressing the measure of an individual’s acceptance or rejection of himself.

A.N. Leontyev proposes to comprehend self-esteem through the category “feeling” as a stable emotional attitude that has “a pronounced objective character, which is the result of a specific generalization of emotions” (No. 13, p. 304).

(No. 33) Kovel M.I. (Self-esteem as the basis of self-regulation and internal motivation). Self-esteem is the basis of internal motivation and is closely related to the process of cognition. Students are involved in socially significant activities (learning, self-education) if they have internal motivation and self-regulation during this activity.

Gippenreiter Yu. B. (No. 6) gives the difference between self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-awareness and introspection, in the words of the world famous storyteller G.Kh. Andersen from the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling”: “Remember that exciting moment when the duckling, having become a young swan, swam up to the royal birds and said: “Kill me!”, still feeling like an ugly and pathetic creature. Could he, through one “introspection,” change this self-esteem if his admiring relatives had not bowed their heads before him?

The structure of self-esteem is represented by two components – cognitive and emotional. The first reflects a person’s knowledge about himself, the second – his attitude towards himself as a measure of self-satisfaction (http:psi.lib.ru/detsad/sbor/saodshv.htm).

In the activity of self-assessment, these components function in an inextricable unity: neither one nor the other can be presented in its pure form /I.I. Chesnokova/. Knowledge about oneself, acquired by a subject in a social context, inevitably becomes overgrown with emotions, the strength and intensity of which is determined by the significance of the assessed content for the individual (No. 23).
The basis of the cognitive component of self-esteem is the operation of comparing oneself with other people, comparing one’s qualities with developed standards, and recording a possible discrepancy between these values ​​/L.I. Korneeva/. Suverova E.I. (MOSU) (No. 23).

Self-esteem is characterized by the following parameters:

1) level – high, medium, low

2) in relation to real success – adequate and inadequate

3) structural features - conflict and non-conflict

Based on the nature of their temporal relevance, prognostic, current and retrospective self-esteem are distinguished.

The psychological dictionary says: “The self-esteem of a developed individual forms a complex system that determines the nature of the individual’s self-attitude and includes general self-esteem, reflecting the level of self-esteem, holistic acceptance or non-acceptance of oneself, and partial, private self-esteem, characterizing the attitude towards individual aspects of one’s personality, actions, and the success of individual types of activities. Self-esteem can be different levels awareness” (No. 16, p. 343).

Analysis of self-esteem as self-assessment of activity made it possible to identify several of its functions: prognostic (consisting in the regulation of personality activity in reality initial stage activity), corrective (aimed at monitoring and making the necessary adjustments) and retrospective (used by the subject at the final stage of activity to summarize, correlate the goals, methods and means of performing the activity with its results (No. 21, pp. 22-23).

Let's analyze self-esteem using the concepts of activity categories - result, means, operations:

1) As a result of self-assessment, researchers highlight the following characteristics: as a result of self-assessment, the individual finds out whether the performance exceeds the standard, equals it or does not reach it (No. 20, p. 191); the person checks himself against the standard and, depending on the results of the test, is satisfied or dissatisfied with himself (No. 14, p. 410); statement by a person of the qualitative, meaningful features of his Self, his physical strength, mental abilities, actions, your attitude towards others and yourself (No. 21, p.9); self-esteem is of two kinds: self-satisfaction and dissatisfaction with oneself (No. 7, p. 88); self-esteem answers the question: “not what I have, but what it’s worth, what it means” (No. 4, p. 99).

Thus, the result of self-esteem is either a statement of certain qualities, or the result of comparing these qualities with a certain standard, or the result of some emotional-sensual relationship.

2) To explore issues of self-esteem great importance also have research on self-assessment tools.

As means or standards of self-assessment, the following parameters are used: value orientations and personality ideals (Petrovsky A.V.), worldview (Rubinshtein S.L.), level of aspirations (Bozhovich L.I., Heckhausen H., etc.) , “I”-concept (Sokolova E.T., Stolin V.V.), requirements imposed by the team (Savonko E.I.).

So, the functions of self-esteem means can be of two types: cognitive (self-concept or its individual aspects) and affective (values, ideals, level of aspirations, requirements). Summarizing this point, we can conclude that almost any phenomenon of a person’s existence (including self-esteem itself) can be self-evaluated by him, i.e. The content field of self-esteem is endless.

3) In self-assessment, the following operations are distinguished: self-knowledge as constructing the image “I am real” (No. 4, p. 141), comparison of the assessed quality with the standard (No. 21, p. 24), causal attribution of the result of the comparison (No. 21, vol. 1, p.408); reaction (attitude, self-acceptance) to the achieved result (No. 7, p. 368). Causal attribution of the result is considered as an additional procedure that can be applied to both the result of comparison and the result of self-attitude, if they do not somehow satisfy the self-evaluator . Then it turns out that in self-esteem there are only 2 types of fundamental operations: comparison and self-attitude, which, placed in different contexts, take on different meanings (for example, the projection of the “real self” onto the “ideal self” is based on comparison, Petrovsky A.V. ), self-criticism. As its basis, self-attitude has self-acceptance (Borozdina L, V, ibid.), self-satisfaction and dissatisfaction with oneself (No. 2, p. 368).

Self-esteem is dominant, and its expression is considered to be the level of aspirations, concludes L.V. Borozdina. (No. 4, p. 141). That is, the level of aspirations is considered a manifestation of self-esteem in the action of the individual. A similar problem arises in distinguishing the concepts of self-esteem and achievement motivation. For example, Heckhausen H. states that “the achievement motive acts as a system of self-esteem” (No. 19, p. 194).

According to E.A. Serebryakova (No. 18, pp. 42-44), ideas about one’s capabilities make the subject unstable in choosing goals: his aspirations rise sharply after success and fall just as sharply after failure.

Level of aspirations - characterizes: 1) the level of difficulty, the achievement of which is common goal series of future actions (ideal goal); 2) the subject’s choice of the goal of the next action, formed as a result of experiencing the success or failure of a number of past actions (the level of claims in this moment); 3) the desired level of personal self-esteem (I level). The desire to increase self-esteem in conditions when a person is free to choose the degree of difficulty of the next action leads to a conflict of two tendencies - the tendency to increase aspirations in order to achieve maximum success, and the tendency to lower them in order to avoid failure. The experience of success (or failure), which arises as a result of achieving (or not achieving) the level of aspirations, entails a shift in the level of aspirations to the area of ​​more difficult (or easier) tasks. A decrease in the difficulty of the chosen goal after success or an increase in it after failure (an atypical change in the level of aspirations) indicates an unrealistic level of aspirations or inadequate self-esteem (No. 34).

The postulate put forward by W. James (No. 3, p. 162) sounds like this:

“Self-esteem is directly proportional to success and inversely proportional to aspirations, that is, potential successes that an individual intended to achieve,” in the form of a formula this can be presented as follows:

Self-esteem = aspirations / capabilities.

Self-esteem is interpreted as a personal formation that is directly involved in the regulation of human behavior and activity, as an autonomous characteristic of the individual, its central component, formed with the active participation of the individual himself and reflecting his originality. inner world(http:psi.lib.ru/detsad/sbor/saodshv.htm).

The origins of the ability to evaluate oneself lie in early childhood, and its development and improvement occurs throughout a person’s life (No. 23).

According to many psychologists, personality structure and the foundations of self-esteem are formed in the first five years of a person’s life (No. 3, p. 103)

Usually, an opinion about oneself is based on the attitude of other people towards us (No. 10, p. 284). There are several sources of self-esteem formation that change the weight of significance at different stages of personality development: assessment of other people; circle of significant others or reference group; current comparison with others; - comparison of the real and ideal self (No. 27).

Self-esteem is also formed on the basis of assessing the results of one’s own activities, as well as on the basis of the relationship between real and ideal ideas about oneself (No. 16, p. 343).

Low self-esteem may be due to many reasons: it can be adopted in childhood from your parents who have not dealt with their personal problems; it can develop in a child due to poor performance at school; due to ridicule from peers or excessive criticism from adults; Personal problems and inability to behave in certain situations also form a person’s unflattering opinion of himself (No. 19, p. 484).

Sanford and Donovan, corroborating what C.T. Faulcan said, say that the assessment came from the outside - from parents "who reprimanded you, told you you were bad, peers who made fun of your red hair, your nose or the fact that you couldn't do math quickly... No one can acquire low self-esteem in isolation, Sanford points out, and none of us can change it alone...” (No. 27).

R. Burns speaks similarly on this matter: “If parents, acting as a social mirror for a child, show love, respect and trust in their treatment of him, the child gets used to treating himself as a person worthy of these feelings” (No. 3, p. 157).

I.Yu. Kulagina, V.N. Kolyutsky (No. 12, p. 272) emphasize that in children with high or low self-esteem, it is extremely difficult to change its level.

Coopersmith notes that to form a positive self-esteem, three conditions are necessary: ​​complete internal acceptance by parents of their child; clear and consistent requirements; respect for the child’s individuality within established limits (No. 3, p. 159)

Chuck T. Faulcan (No. 19, p. 485) says that if a person does what he loves, over time he gains experience and skill of which he has the right to be proud. This is one of the conditions that make up normal self-esteem. Each person creates for himself an image of an ideal “I”. It has qualities that are valuable in the eyes of parents, peers, teachers and people in authority (No. 10, p. 286). It may change depending on the environment. If actual qualities match or approach the ideal, the person will have high self-esteem.

A sober and objective attitude towards oneself forms the basis of normal self-esteem (No. 19, p. 485).

To summarize, we can conclude: self-esteem is a component of self-awareness, has a reflexive nature, includes such elements as: the image of the “real self”, the “ideal self”, the result of comparing these images and self-attitude to the result of the comparison. Self-esteem is a reflexive component of self-awareness that performs a regulatory function. Self-esteem is the attitude of an individual to the results of comparing his images of the real and ideal “I”.

II .Study of the influence of self-esteem on the social behavior of an individual

Self-esteem plays a big role important role in organizing effective management of one’s behavior, without it it is difficult or even impossible to determine one’s self in life (No. 27).

A person’s relationships with others, his criticality, self-demandingness, and attitude toward successes and failures depend on self-esteem. Self-esteem is closely related to the level of a person’s aspirations, that is, the degree of difficulty of the goals that he sets for himself. The discrepancy between claims and real opportunities a person leads to the fact that he begins to evaluate himself incorrectly, as a result of which his behavior becomes inadequate (emotional breakdowns, increased anxiety, etc. occur). Self-esteem receives objective expression in how a person evaluates the capabilities and results of the activities of others (for example, he belittles them with inflated self-esteem) (No. 34).

The first to identify the type of family situation that forms a positive self-concept in a child was Scott (No. 3, pp. 144-145). Having studied 1,800 teenagers, he found that those who have an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust between parents and children at home, a willingness to accept each other, are more adjusted in life, independent, and have higher self-esteem. On the contrary, teenagers from families where there is discord are less well adjusted.

Virginia N. Quinn speaks out on this issue as follows: “Children with low self-esteem lack self-confidence, they have a poorly developed sense of self-esteem. They are more likely to have difficulty communicating with other children, who, in turn, are reluctant to accept them. As a result, children with negative self-concepts often develop behavioral problems, which causes them to be treated less favorably by peers, teachers, sports coaches, and other group leaders. And this “undermines” the self-esteem of such children even more. There have been cases when problems with the “I” concept that arose in the first grade affected the entire later life child” (No. 10, p. 285).

Thus, high self-esteem develops in children in families characterized by cohesion and solidarity. (No. 3, pp. 149-150) . The mother's attitude towards her husband is more positive here. In the eyes of a child, parents are always successful. He readily follows the behavioral patterns they set, persistently and successfully solves the daily tasks that confront him, as he feels confident in his abilities. He is less susceptible to stress and anxiety, perceives kindly and realistically the world and myself.

Boys with high self-esteem have a higher level of aspirations (No. 3, p. 150). Thus, children with high self-esteem set higher goals for themselves and are more likely to achieve success. Conversely, children with low self-esteem are characterized by very modest goals and uncertainty about the possibility of achieving them.

Coopersmith (ibid., p. 150) describes boys with high self-esteem this way: they are independent, self-reliant, sociable, and convinced of the success of any task entrusted to them. This self-confidence helps them stick to their opinions, allows them to controversial situations defending their views and judgments makes them receptive to new ideas. Self-confidence, along with a sense of self-worth, gives rise to conviction that one is right and courage to express one’s beliefs. This attitude and associated expectations not only provide them with more independent status in social relations, but also considerable creative potential, the ability for energetic and positive social actions. They usually take an active position in group discussions. By their own admission, they do not experience any particular difficulties when approaching new people, they are ready to express their opinion, knowing that it will be met with hostility. An important feature of children with high self-esteem is that they are less preoccupied with their internal problems.

“High self-esteem,” says R. Burns, “(No. 3, p. 151) ensures good mastery of the technique of social contacts, allows the individual to show his worth without exerting himself special effort. The child acquired the ability to cooperate in the family, the confidence that he is surrounded by love, care and attention. All this creates a solid foundation for his social development» .

The behavior of people with high self-esteem (No. 3, p. 151) is the opposite of the picture of behavior of people experiencing depression, well known to psychotherapists. The latter are characterized by passivity, lack of self-confidence, in the correctness of their observations and judgments; they do not find the strength to influence other people, resist them, and cannot easily and without internal hesitation express their opinion.

Poor self-esteem, Sanford and Donovan say, is at the root of many of the problems women may have, from overeating to alcoholism. “If we don't love ourselves, we marry men unworthy of us, choose jobs that are too easy for us, and make other mistakes, ranging from poisoning ourselves with drugs to too much tolerance, which is based on, Sanford notes. lies our opinion that we deserve it" (http://med-site.narod.r /wo67.htm). Research shows that self-deprecating (“if only…”) behaviors, such as focusing on one's shortcomings or exaggerating the importance of failure, are associated with depression. According to the American Psychological Association, low self-esteem is clearly an important factor in the development of depression. Low self-esteem has been cited as a factor influencing the high prevalence of depression among women, who suffer from depression twice as often as men.

“Self-esteem is an important factor, since it reflects a person’s confidence in his professional and personal strengths, his self-esteem and adequacy to what is happening. Optimal is high self-esteem (http://job-today.ru/issue/s09_99_1.htm), self-respect with a sober (realistic) assessment of your capabilities and abilities. Low self-esteem leads to “learned helplessness” - a person gives up in advance in the face of difficulties and problems, since he is still not capable of anything. Inflated self-esteem is fraught with excessive demands for attention to one’s person and rash decisions.”

The Internet site (http://testonlaine.webservis.ru/test/test3/index.php) says that a person with low self-esteem is not appreciated by anyone except his closest friends: “Uncertainty is a kind of signal for others, since no one knows a person better than he does himself, and he admits his inadequacy in advance, thereby showing his insecurity.”

Much of what a person does or refuses to do depends on the person's level of self-worth. T. Shibutani puts it this way: “Those who do not consider themselves particularly talented do not strive for very high goals and do not show grief when they fail to do something well... A person who thinks of himself as worthless worthless object, often reluctantly makes efforts to improve his lot. On the other hand, those who value themselves highly often tend to work under great stress. They consider it beneath their dignity to not work well enough (No. 22, p. 220).

L. Peplo, M. Miceli and B. Morali (No. 15, p. 274) express the opinion that low self-esteem can be both a cause and a consequence of loneliness. They say (ibid., p. 276) that low self-esteem is a certain set of opinions and behavior that interferes with the establishment or maintenance of satisfactory social relationships. People with low self-esteem interpret social interactions in a self-deprecating way. They tend to attribute failures in communication to internal, self-blaming factors. Such people react more strongly to calls for communication and refusal to communicate... Individuals with low self-esteem are especially responsive towards partners who are friends and are especially hostile towards partners who reject them... People with low self-esteem interpret ambiguous social exchanges to a greater extent as negative than people with high self-esteem.

“Low self-esteem,” continues L. Peploe, M. Miceli and B. Morali (p. 276), “affects people’s social behavior. People with low self-esteem experience greater social insecurity and are less prone to taking risks in social matters, and therefore less likely to form new relationships or deepen existing ones.”

The above authors (ibid., p. 277) conclude that low self-esteem is embodied in an interconnected set of self-deprecating cognitions and behaviors that distort social competence, putting people at risk of loneliness.

Cutrone, Russell, and Peploe found that self-esteem plays an important role in whether new college students experience only temporary loneliness or remain lonely for seven months. Students with high self-esteem, already at the beginning of the new academic year, are significantly more predisposed to overcoming their loneliness and successful social adjustment in college than students with low self-esteem (ibid., p. 277).

F. Zimbardo (No. 9, p. 282) writes that what we think about ourselves has a profound impact on our entire lives. “People who are aware of their own importance tend to spread an aura of satisfaction around themselves. They are less dependent on the support and approval of others because they have learned to stimulate themselves. Such people, with their enterprise and initiative, make the social mechanism rotate, and accordingly they get the lion's share of the benefits provided by society.

People with high self-esteem are not upset when they are criticized and do not fear rejection. They are more likely to be grateful for “constructive advice.” Having received a refusal, they do not perceive it as humiliation of their person. They consider the reasons for it differently: they should have made more efforts, not made a breakthrough; the request was excessive or, conversely, insignificant; the time and place were chosen poorly; the person who refused is suffering from some problems himself and therefore needs understanding. In any case, the reasons for the refusal are not in them, but outside them; these reasons should be analyzed in order to regroup your forces and launch a new offensive with more reliable means. It is easy for such people to be optimistic: they achieve their goals more often than they lose.

A person with low self-esteem, on the other hand, looks lost. He (she) is, as a rule, more passive, suggestible and less popular. Such people are overly sensitive to criticism, considering it a confirmation of their inferiority. They also have difficulty accepting compliments... Researchers have noted that people with low self-esteem are generally more neurotic than those with high self-esteem...Very gifted people can perform for themselves worst enemies, if their self-esteem is low...If a person is shy, as a rule, he suffers from low self-esteem; - writes F. Zimbardo, “where self-esteem is high, there is no question of shyness” (No. 9, p. 283).

Virginia N. Quinn (No. 10, pp. 286-287) writes about research conducted by Levanway and Wylie (Levanway, 1955; Wylie, 1957), which led to the conclusion that people with positive “I” concepts tend to be more tolerant of others, It’s easier for them to come to terms with their failures, which happen less often because they work more effective than people with low self-esteem; high self-esteem is usually combined with such qualities as independence and sincerity; People with positive self-images tend to be self-reliant and therefore more willing to accept criticism and advice.

Continuing to base her judgments on the research of the above authors, Virginia N. Quinn says that people with low self-esteem perceive criticism painfully and tend to blame themselves for all failures; they are easily pressured, - “... since they lack self-confidence, they can usually be manipulated; they are susceptible to flattery and criticize others in order to grow in their own eyes; Most people with low self-esteem prefer to work on simple tasks, because then they are confident of success... Some studies show that low self-esteem is a factor contributing to the emergence of a tendency to fraud, drug use and many types of offenses” (No. 10, p. 287).

T. Shibutani (No. 22, p. 230) says: “When a person cannot accept himself as he really is, the main efforts are directed towards self-defense rather than towards self-knowledge.”

Tom Schreiter writes, “How we see ourselves determines how we think and determines the decisions we make... If you earn fifty dollars, then you have fifty dollars worth of self-esteem. If you earn ten thousand dollars a month, then you have self-esteem worth ten thousand” (http:linky.ru/~alexxxey/book/tom.htm) - although I don’t quite agree with the second statement of this author, because in life People encounter situations where this conclusion does not justify itself.

It is self-esteem that performs the function of regulating behavior and activity, since it can correlate a person’s needs and aspirations with his capabilities (http://azps.ru/articles/tezis/40so.html).

Summarizing the views of various researchers, we can come to the conclusion that they are all unanimous in their opinion about negative influence inadequate or low self-esteem on a person’s social behavior, that is, on a person’s behavior in society.

conclusions

According to the work carried out by the above researchers, we can conclude: self-esteem is the central link of voluntary self-regulation, determines the direction and level of a person’s activity, his attitude to the world, to people, to himself; acts as an important determinant of all forms and types of activities and social behavior of a person (human behavior in society).

She performs regulatory and protective functions, influencing the development of the individual, her activities, behavior and her relationships with other people. Reflecting the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself, the level of self-esteem, self-esteem creates the basis for the perception of one’s own success or failure, the achievement of goals of a certain level, that is, the level of a person’s aspirations.

People with adequate or high self-esteem are more optimistic than those with low self-esteem; They successfully solve the tasks that confront them because they feel confident in their own abilities. Such people are less susceptible to stress and anxiety, and perceive the world around them and themselves favorably.

True self-esteem gives a person moral satisfaction and supports his human dignity.

The foundations of self-perception are laid in childhood and can influence the entire course of life.

List literature

1. Ananyev B.G. Towards the formulation of problems of children's self-awareness // News of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR // Issue 18, 1948, pp. 111-115

2. Burns R.. Development of the Self - concepts and education. M.: Progress, 1986, p.422

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Every person at a certain period of his life begins to evaluate himself. Self-esteem can change depending on life circumstances or positive side, or negative. When talking about self-esteem, everyone understands what is meant, but it is not always possible to explain it in words. It has quite a few sides and shades: self-image, attitude towards oneself, feelings, etc. Psychologists have always been interested in whether self-esteem affects us, so they thoroughly understood this issue.

Why do you need to believe in yourself?

The attitude of people towards a person depends to a large extent on how he perceives himself. If he is confident in his abilities and has self-respect, others will treat him similarly. When a person does not love himself, it is stupid and unreasonable to expect love from strangers.

As life shows, a person with low self-esteem tries to communicate with similar people. This gives him the illusion of self-affirmation, but in fact, internal uncertainty and dissatisfaction only increases.

Psychologists are confident that a person with stable and positive self-esteem can achieve a lot in life and achieve harmony.

Why is low self-esteem dangerous?

Answer to the question: “Does self-esteem influence a person’s behavior?” - definitely positive. There is a direct connection between how a person feels about himself and the quality of his life. People who treat themselves without due respect and consider themselves worthless are sure that their lives are also not worthy of making it better. Sometimes the situation changes if a person begins to make efforts and change his usual way of life. The psyche is structured in such a way that, than more people does, the more he appreciates it.

What does inner self-confidence give?

A person who is confident in himself, has his own position and knows how to defend it. He relies only on himself, although he is not afraid to entrust certain matters to others. A confident person is not afraid of change and always tries to improve his life. Unlike people who are dissatisfied with themselves, he takes responsibility for all his words and actions.

People with positive self-esteem usually have a fairly clear understanding of what they want. Goals and plans are clearly outlined, and the person confidently moves towards their implementation. People who are insecure can rarely describe specifically what they would like to change, and their goals are often incredibly inflated. They fail to achieve them, and their self-esteem drops even lower.

Naturally, high self-esteem will not save you from life’s difficulties and adversities, but it will be much easier to overcome them. A person who is confident in his abilities finds new methods to solve problems and perceives difficulties as a routine. People with low self-esteem prefer to hide from their sorrows. For them, any experience of failure is very painful and unsettles them for a long time. Therefore, they pretend that everything is fine with them and avoid making a decision.

Harmony and mental health

When studying how self-esteem affects health, it is necessary to understand that in order for a person to achieve psychological comfort, he must trust himself. It will not be possible to form this feeling if self-esteem is very low and there is no self-respect. Then the person will behave inconsistently and break the promises he made to himself.

People with low self-esteem often go to extremes: they either completely ignore their own experiences and succumb to the influence of others, or give in to their emotions completely, not paying attention to the signals of the mind.

How does self-esteem affect relationships with people?

The influence of self-esteem on a person’s behavior in society should not be underestimated. Your attitude towards yourself is also reflected in your relationships with others. A person who values ​​and respects himself does not associate his actions and actions with the opinions of other people. He calmly accepts disagreements and is not afraid of disapproval. IN conflict situations he does not lose respect either for himself or for those whose opinions differ from his own.

Does self-esteem influence human behavior? Psychologists insist that independence and internal freedom make it possible to independently navigate one’s behavior, make decisions and take responsibility for them. Such a person does not try to create a fictitious image just to earn approval.

Makes people seek approval from others. They think that this way they will be in demand and will be appreciated. But it is impossible to develop self-respect at the expense of others. This is achieved by internal work, which is not related to the actions and opinions of others.

Protection from conviction

When thinking about whether self-esteem influences a person’s behavior, it is worth noting that people with low self-esteem react very painfully to any criticism and disapproval. They try in every possible way to protect themselves from condemnation. Experts identify four main methods of removal.

• Accusation. If this method is used, a person constantly looks for someone to blame and, naturally, finds one. He finds fault with little things and is always dissatisfied with everything.
• Ingratiation. In this case, an insecure person is ready to do literally anything for others just to be satisfied with him. He never argues and always waits for instructions.
• Calculation. By choosing this path, people completely block their emotions and never show what they feel. They speak in a monotone voice and their words are often abstract.
• Suspension. A person never reacts to what others do. He talks on neutral topics and does not answer questions. With his entire appearance, the person demonstrates that he does not hear anything, and in general he is not here.

All these types may have different variations, but the goal is the same: to protect yourself from attacks and criticism.

What will help improve self-esteem?

The level of self-esteem influences all a person’s actions, but it can be raised thanks to internal work. Self-respect should not depend on the opinions of others. The more a person takes care of himself and his life, the higher his self-esteem. Caring can take different directions.

You need to be sensitive to your own emotions; you cannot completely ignore them. Then internal discomfort increases, and achieving harmony will be very difficult. It is useful to ask yourself questions about what feelings are being experienced at the moment, what reaction to what is happening, and what is the assessment of your own reaction. They will help you understand and understand what causes an inner feeling of pride, and what, on the contrary, causes uncertainty and self-condemnation.

Factors influencing the development of self-esteem also include one’s own attitude towards other people. When a person accepts others as they are and behaves towards them honestly and sincerely, he begins to respect himself more and be proud of himself.

What lowers self-esteem?

Psychologists identify the main mistakes that reduce self-esteem and prevent a person from appreciating himself.

• Self-pity. A person who constantly remembers his failures feels unhappy and feels helpless because he can no longer change anything. People who are unable to make their own decisions own life, often feel sorry for themselves. They surrender to the mercy of those around them and watch from the sidelines as they themselves “float” with the flow. A person who is used to experiencing allows himself to be criticized, offended and wounded.
• Accusations and complaints. It is difficult for a person who lacks self-confidence to take responsibility. It is much more convenient for him to blame someone else for his own failures. By belittling others, he rises and rehabilitates himself in his own eyes. Often a person blames others for his weaknesses and endows them with qualities that he does not like in himself.
• The habit of considering oneself a hopeless person. Aspects of self-esteem that influence people's behavior include analyzing one's own shortcomings. A negative attitude towards oneself also manifests itself externally: constrained movements, lowered head, dull eyes. A person with high self-esteem is physically relaxed and calm.

Showing insecurity

Two main criteria for their behavior will help identify people with low self-esteem.

• Reaction to criticism. People who are insecure about themselves are very sensitive to it and even take all comments personally. Low self-esteem does not allow you to assess the situation, admit and correct your own mistakes.
• Use of masks. People who put on various masks consider themselves worse than everyone else and try to play someone else's role. Thinking about the question: “Low self-esteem and its impact on a person’s life,” they try to hide their true feelings and demonstrate self-confidence. This can be expressed through boasting, loud laughter, or familiarity.

When self-esteem is low, a person lives by immediate interests and tries to immediately get what he wants, be it ego needs or physical pleasure, often to the detriment of the future. He doesn't care about other people's interests and is driven by his own selfishness. When self-esteem increases, interests shift towards future, anticipated pleasures. A person finds pleasure in more significant things that open up new perspectives for him, and do not promise immediate reward.

Confidence

People with high self-esteem are more confident in their ability to think and act effectively, particularly in new situations. It is easier for them to overcome difficulties and persevere; they think less about possible failures. The lower a person's self-esteem, the larger his ego and the greater his concern about how others will look at him, what they will think, the more he tries to impress.

Beliefs and values

Unhealthy or false beliefs are formed to protect the psyche and are based on our own limitations. Almost everything we believe serves to justify our behavior towards the outside world and ourselves. If we feel that we no longer need false or harmful beliefs, we can let them go. High self-esteem gives us mental strength and the ability to free ourselves.

Primitive values ​​only matter when self-esteem is low. When we cannot go beyond our desires and needs, then we build a hierarchy of values ​​in such a way as to provide ourselves with the opportunity for narcissism. We lower the bar instead of growing above ourselves.

Judgment and rationalization

Self-esteem is of primary importance when assessing a situation. In order to feel better, we create a picture of the world and ourselves the way we want, and not in accordance with reality.

For example, if someone has invested a lot of time, effort, energy or money into a business, they see things differently. A person with low self-esteem does not want to believe that he wasted his time. While a person with high self-esteem is ready to accept and evaluate the situation objectively and retreat when he sees that it no longer makes sense.

Prevailing mood

Mood, all the ups and downs of our emotional state are also determined by the level of self-esteem. The color in which we see the world around us and ourselves depends on our mood. The lower a person's self-esteem, the more susceptible he is to mood. Choosing a solution in in this case determined by two factors: the level of self-esteem and the significance of the event itself.

If we understand that a person has low self-esteem, we can be sure that his decision-making and behavior will be greatly influenced by his mood, even in the most insignificant situations. A person with high self-esteem tends to do right choice, regardless of whether he wants to do something or not.

Learn more about how to learn to understand people, what opportunities open up for those who study profiling, as well as about how the human body works and how to use its signals and signs to determine the truth of words and behavior, learn to influence other people and You can not succumb to the influence exerted on you by reading David Lieberman’s book “Alien Soul of Darkness” or (which will be faster and more exciting) from the materials.

Prepared by the team of ANO NITSKB