Self-esteem is a person’s sense of personal value or worth. It also involves how people define themselves, which in turn influences their motivations, attitudes and behaviors throughout life. Healthy self-esteem is important for emotional well-being, and it is helpful in realizing life goals.

A healthy self-esteem involves the following elements:

• Trust. Confidence and faith in oneself as well as others.
  
  
• Self nurturing. An important component of self-esteem. Learning how to take care of others as well as oneself.
  
  
• Autonomy. Self-determination and independence.
  
  
• Identity. An individual’s sense of self.
  
  
• Intimacy. The ability to relate closely to others.

If an individual is unable to develop these elements or loses sight of them, low self-esteem can result. Everyone experiences lagging self-esteem at certain times in their lives, especially during adolescence.

How people feel about themselves can be related to various factors, including the environment, body image, personal and social expectations and experiences. Constant criticism can harm an individual’s self-esteem. For example, recent research shows that childhood verbal abuse has a negative impact on self-esteem that often continues into adulthood. It is important to note that such criticism does not necessarily have to come from others. Some people are plagued with chronic (ongoing) self-doubt, finding fault with everything they do and as a result, their self-esteem suffers.

Messages from the media, which often promote excessive thinness as the ideal for women, can negatively affect a female’s self-esteem. The messages can lead girls and women to believe that something is wrong with their bodies. As a result, they may adopt strict diets to achieve this “ideal” figure and this can put them at risk for developing an eating disorder. Males can have body image insecurities as well. Though women may feel pressure to be thinner, males can feel pressured to be bigger and more muscular. Sports (e.g., football, wrestling), media messages and other men can pressure males to gain muscle mass. The inability to accomplish this can lead to feelings of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with their physical appearance.