The type of self – esteem we have determines what we do and how we do it, what we obtain and stop obtaining, and our way of living, suffering, and enjoying ourselves. Read on to learn about the different types of self-esteem that define some of us.
Types of self-esteem and how to recognize yours
The types of self-esteem can be classified into several levels. But what is self-esteem? It is measured by the appreciation you have of yourself that leads you to have a good quality of life and be successful both personally and professionally.
This quality is found in an innate way in each one of us from our birth and undergoes changes throughout our lives as we develop.
Self-esteem develops as we grow
We will not always have the same self-esteem since, as the way we relate to society and the world around us changes, it will also change.
Self-esteem is an attitude towards life based on three elements:
- Thoughts.
- Feelings.
- Behaviors
Our self-esteem develops as we grow, due to the relationship with ourselves, people and the environment that surrounds us.
Test to know what type of self-esteem you currently have
Let’s look at an example. Suppose we make a major mistake and someone calls our attention or criticizes us. We have three main options.
1.- I think:
- It’s true, I was wrong.
- A mistake, it’s just that, a mistake.
- I am going to analyze the situation, see where the error was so as not to make it again and see how to solve the problems that said error caused.
Before these types of thoughts I feel calm. I take responsibility for what happened and take action. If I consider that I did the right thing, I feel good about myself and I strengthen my self-esteem.
2.- I think:
- What a fool I am!
- How could I have made such a mistake!
- I am incompetent.
Thinking like this, I am going to feel devalued and anguished and my behavior is going to be ineffective. The feeling of devaluation will cause me to avoid situations where I can make mistakes, qualify me negatively and my self-esteem goes down.
3.- I think:
- I’m never wrong, it was her fault… Besides, who does he think he can claim or criticize me, if I know more than he does.
These thoughts generate feelings of anger towards others. As a consequence, my behavior is negative: I do not correct, I do not learn from my mistakes and most likely I will retaliate and yell at or insult other people.
The cause of these three differences is self-esteem
In the first case we speak of someone with high self-esteem, in the second with low self-esteem and in the third with what is known as inflated self-esteem.
High self-steem
The person who has a high self-esteem, is not qualified by what he does. Judges and rates mistakes, that is, thoughts or deeds, as adequate or inappropriate.
Low selfsteem
People with low self-esteem do not know how to separate and she is what she does. She is not silly, she is silly. This is a mistake and so you feel that your self-esteem is low.
Inflated self-esteem
He who has an inflated self-esteem, also confuses what he is, with what he does, but in order not to feel bad, he seeks to blame and devalue others.
Did you realize what the main difference was in what triggered the different types of self-esteem? What we think of ourselves.
Although our self-esteem begins to form from the messages we receive when we are little and we do not have the ability to think and analyze those thoughts, we maintain the level of our self-esteem with our way of thinking.
Therefore, by changing our way of thinking, perceiving and evaluating ourselves, we can modify our level of self-esteem.
With which do you identify yourself? Leave us your comment.