About Self-esteem
The term "self-esteem" describes a person's subjective sense of self-worth or value.
It is the opinion you have about yourself or how much you like and appreciate yourself.
This is integral to a person's identity.
Self-esteem is often referred to as self-worth, self-regard, or self-respect also.
It includes all the beliefs about yourself, like the appreciation of how you look and feel, your behavior, and how you feel about specific attributes or abilities that you have.
The right level of self-esteem is needed.
Too much or too low self-esteem can be harmful.
A high level of self-esteem, taking into account a realistic point of view, is considered to be ideal.
Importance of Self-esteem
Self-esteem is important for self-motivation and achieving success.
Studies show that high, realistic self-esteem is important for maintaining good mental health.
It is also crucial for the development of a child.
Children need to be treated with kindness, love, and respect early to develop positive self-esteem.
The experiences that a child faces during their growing years are vital to shaping their self-esteem levels.
Employees with a better sense of self-worth are found to focus better, require less time off, and get along better with their team members.
Is Self-esteem Genetic? The OXTR Gene
People of certain genetic types have a higher likelihood of having better self-esteem and may exhibit characteristics such as being appreciative, encouraging, positive, accepting of other people, speaking up, helpful, and focused on solutions rather than problems.
The OXTR Gene
The OXTR gene carries instructions for the production of the oxytocin receptor protein.
This protein acts as a receptor to oxytocin and binds to it.
Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter - chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons.
It plays a role in female reproductive functions.
Oxytocin also impacts social functions and emotions such as self-esteem, bonding behavior, empathy, trust, and optimism.
rs53576
rs53576 is a single nucleotide polymorphism or an SNP in the OXTR gene.
Individuals with the GG genotype were found to have higher self-esteem and be more empathetic and optimistic.
Carriers of the A allele were found to have a risk for negative mood states.
Non-Genetic Factors That Influence Self-Esteem
Gender
Young girls are found to have lower self-esteem than boys.
Family environment
Children who grow up without basic needs or in the presence of psychologically troubled adults are at a higher risk of developing self-esteem problems.
Discrimination
Discrimination based on age, sex, disability, or race negatively affects self-esteem.
Children with physical disabilities or other challenges may struggle more with self-esteem than others.
The kind of people you interact with, your job, and comments or thoughts you hear from people around you impact self-esteem.
Self-Esteem Check: What Happens When It Is Too High Or Too Low?
Too much self-esteem can strain personal relationships, and the person may lack empathy and not understand the problems the other person is going through.
Too little self-esteem affects mental health.
Mental health may deteriorate, and the person may feel depressed and make bad choices.
People with healthy levels of self-esteem will take better care of themselves and make decisions that will enhance rather than break them.
They tend to have a positive outlook on life and feel confident.
Effects Of Low Self-Esteem
It is okay to have low self-esteem from time to time. That's a part of life. Prolonged periods of low self-esteem can pose a problem and may lead to
- Depression
- A feeling of hopelessness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Mental disorders
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Decrease in productivity
Recommendations To Improve Your Self-Esteem
Healthy levels of self-esteem are necessary to maintain mental health, boost self-confidence, and have a good, quality life. There are ways by which you can address self-esteem issues and boost self-esteem.
- Find why you have low self-esteem and look for things that affect it. Once you identify the cause, you can address it and make changes to improve your self-esteem.
- Respect the work you do and understand how important you are. Don't constantly put others' needs in front of yours, and keep track of how much you're helping someone else without taking care of yourself. Saying no when you think you have too much on your plate is okay and understandable.
- Make time for yourself to appreciate yourself and how far you've come.
- Take care of yourself. Do not resort to measures that can affect your health. Taking care of your health is equally important to boost self-esteem.
- Set goals for yourself and try to achieve them. Completing goals can help build self-esteem.
- It's okay to ask for help when you need it or feel too low.
- A doctor may recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy to help deal with very low self-esteem issues that interfere with the quality of life.
Summary
- Self-esteem is the opinion a person has about themselves or how much they like and appreciate themselves. This is integral to a person's identity.
- High levels of self-esteem, taking into account a realistic point of view, are considered ideal. Too much self-esteem can lead to a strain on personal relationships, and the person may lack empathy. Too little self-esteem affects mental health and can lead to depression.
- People with healthy levels of self-esteem will take better care of themselves and make decisions that will enhance rather than break them. They tend to have a positive outlook on life and feel confident.
- Researchers believe that the genetic basis for self-esteem could be rooted in the hormone oxytocin, also called the love hormone.
- Certain variants of the OXTR gene that produces the oxytocin receptor are associated with increased self-esteem.
- The family environment you grow up in, the kind of people you interact with, and other social situations can affect self-esteem.
- Find the things that are affecting your self-esteem and address them. Learn to respect and appreciate yourself and your time. It's okay to ask for help when you're feeling low and cannot get better. Therapy can be considered to deal with self-esteem problems.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/self-esteem
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-esteem/art-20045374
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/self-esteem
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25564674
https://academic.oup.com/her/article/19/4/357/560320
https://www.pnas.org/content/108/37/15118
