Personal Development: Changing the “Self” in “Self-Esteem”

The popular psychology of Western culture has firmly established a connection between happiness and self-esteem.

Certainly few would deny the importance of self-worth to a healthy
outlook. But can social programs promising to enhance self-esteem unwittingly produce selfish, dissatisfied people with an unrealistic view of themselves and the world they live in? Without a clear understanding of the source of healthy self-esteem, how can we be sure that well-intended efforts aren't instead leading, as some charge, to a generation of self-absorbed social misfits?

A close look at the subject reveals both a reliable path to proper self-esteem and a key to sustainable happiness. The two ar View the rest of this article