Self Esteem in Our Culture

Self Esteem and Culture

Self esteem is all about how much people value them self, the pride they feel in themselves, and how worthwhile they feel. Self esteem is important because feeling good about yourself can affect how you act. A person who has high self esteem will make friends easily, is more in control of his or her behavior and will enjoy life more (Heine). To begin you must understand that there is a difference between high self esteem, arrogance, and pride.

Arrogance is a negative trait in which one thinks high of them self, compares themselves with others and believes they are better than everyone else (Matsumoto). Arrogance is a false sense of self worth. An arrogant person lacks an intrinsic sense of their own goodness. Pride is a sense of responsibility toward everything such that you aim at doing. Someone with pride tires their best at everything they do and when they succeed they feel good. Self esteem is a sense of feeling at peace with yourself when you have done the right thing in the best possible manner. There is no discrepancy between who they are and what they believe in (Mortenson).

It is generally accepted that people seek to maintain, enhance, and protect their self-esteem. Although there may be cultural variability in its expression, the tendency to seek self-esteem is well established in Western cultures (Tse). The manner in which individuals foster their self-esteem has a great deal to do with their behavior and the consequences to others. Cultural factors can have a strong influence on how individuals evaluate and present themselves to others. Research shows that people from Japan, China and the Philippines tend to devalue themselves when presented with self appraisal (Heine). Self esteem is a we...

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...humor, or success in competition (Tse).

The Christian worldview on self esteem is important as well. The Christian finds satisfaction, not in a sense of self-worth, but in knowing the one true and living God. Human beings are indeed made in God's image, and every single human life is thus worthy of respect and dignity (Heine). Nevertheless, the gospel makes clear that the Christian's identity is found in Christ -- not in the self.

Although it is easy to think that the grass is always greener on the other side. However do not conform to thinking that way until you have actually been on the other side. Living your life being jealous of everyone else will put a lot of unnecessary stress in your life. You will become depressed, anxious, and worthless (Tse). It is important to remember that for every person you look up to, there is someone below you looking up as well.