Self Esteem vs Self Confidence Essay Example for Free

Self Esteem vs Self Confidence Essay Have you ever truly been proud of yourself? That is the reason I think self-confidence is better than self-esteem. Having self-confidence is better than having self-esteem, because you earn self-confidence, and are given self-esteem. For example if someone compliments you on your looks or for a job well done it boosts your self-esteem. When you accomplish a goal such as a good grade in a hard class or making a weight loss goal it is something you have done for yourself and it boosts your self-confidence. Self-confidence reflects a pursuit of change accompanied by a belief in somehow being able to make some type of improvement (Dreier, 2008). When you have self-confidence it means you are not only setting goals for yourself you are accomplishing those goals. And when you achieve those accomplishments don’t you feel proud of yourself? It was proven in a study that the more self-confidence you have the better you may do on certain tasks (Laird, 2007). When people try and succeed at improving their lives they increase the self-confidence they have. Also having self-confidence helps you become more aware of the things you can accomplish. Succeeding in goals such as getting into college or weight loss helps you to try new and maybe even harder things. Which helps to prove the more you achieve the further you may be willing to go, or the more you may be willing to try. It is easier to accomplish these tasks and goals when you have the confidence in yourself to think you can complete them. Even the difference in your posture and or thoughts are said to have an effect on the way others perceive you (Laird, 2007). Which helps me to prove another point, showing pride in what you do is better than showing pride in your looks. Sometimes showing pride in your looks can turn people away or even make people think you are a conceded person. Other people can also use that against you if they don’t like you or have a grudge against you they can use criticism or insults to make you feel bad about yourself which hurts your self-esteem. Sometimes just trying something new can help to boost your self-confidence as well because taking that step and getting over your fear means you can take pride in the fact that you at least tried it and got over the fear of it. It may even give you more confidence to possibly try other things that you could be afraid of. With self-esteem you can also promote healthy mental well-being, assertiveness, resilience and more. Evidence was found supporting the position that high self-esteem is helpful in dealing with stress and avoiding anxiety in a way that allows a person to continue functioning in the face of stress or even trauma (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger Vohs, 2003). Baumeister and colleagues (2003) have also said there is a positive statistical relationship between high self-esteem and happiness. It has been proven that people with high self-esteem simply feel better about themselves, about life, and about the future (Mruk, 2006). A person can change levels of self-esteem due to certain types of situations or even different settings. However those levels can also vary in more complex ways as well. For example, Harter and Whitesell (2003) found that for some people, self-esteem could be relatively stable and in others it could vary considerably over time, in different situations, or even both. It has also been noted that other factors could affect the level and stability of self-esteem, such as clarity of self-concept (Campbell, 1999). Apparently, some individuals that have weak, ill-defined, or uncertain self-concepts are much more susceptible to negative feedback and or failure. I believe like many others that those facts are true but what several people don’t know is that your self-esteem can also be destroyed by a simple opinion, criticism, or even insult. When someone tells you that an outfit you are wearing or the way you did your makeup does not look good don’t you tend to change your clothes or try to fix your makeup? That is a blow to your self-esteem and most of the time after someone says something like that to you, you feel hurt or down about what they have said. People with positive self-views also are relatively reluctant to admit when they are ignorant (Dunning, 2005). Anyone from friends to even some family members may try to put you down at some point in your life. This could also be very damaging to your self-esteem and may possibly have a negative effect on your mental health and well-being. It is a proven fact that every person has an opinion and most people are not shy about sharing what that opinion is. You may end up not liking what they have to say, and when they tell you what that opinion is it can hurt your feelings and your self-esteem. I have found that people with high self-esteem may blame others for their own shortcomings in relationships or even engage in downward social comparisons that puts other people down personally (Crocker Park, 2004; Harter, 1999). Everyone has a difference of opinion about self-confidence and self-esteem, and which one means more to them. It is also clear that everyone has some level of self-confidence and self-esteem within themselves and that there are differences between the two, but which one do you think is better to have? Do you think either one helps you achieve your goals or dreams? Or do you believe that they are both the same thing? I encourage you to look inside yourself for the answers to these questions or maybe even do some research of your own, because you may end up changing your mind with the information that you find.