High and low self-esteem: its main differences

Today we will continue to address the issue of self esteem, and in this case we will talk about the characteristics of people with low self-esteem and high self-esteem. This will allow us to understand a little better why we respond in certain ways to certain situations in life.

It can be the key to improve our way of life, since our self-esteem determines to a large extent our personal well-being.

As we mentioned there is a differentiation between high and low self-esteem, this is something that we have all heard and we have some idea of ​​it. However, from psychology other differentiations are addressed, opening a broader range of types of self-esteem. One of these aspects is the instability or stability of self-esteem.

That is, we can have a high self-esteem that is stable, or that is unstable. And the same happens with low self-esteem. Let's see what each of them is about.

How do people with high and stable self-esteem behave?

For these people, who have a high valuation of themselves, the setbacks of life do not affect their self-esteem. They tend to be very open in the way they develop since they have a solid image of themselves that is not altered by others. They are able to sustain their point of view in a discussion with others and this does not destabilize them emotionally.

When high self-esteem becomes unstable

In this case, we refer to people who, with high self-esteem, have difficulties to sustain it constantly. Some situations that can destabilize your self-esteem are -for example- very competitive environments.

They are very critical of their own failures and although they can defend their point of view with great conviction, they close themselves to the points of view of the others and seek to monopolize the word to avoid the opinions of others. They feel a lot of concern for their self-esteem, and may even have aggressive attitudes to sustain it.

How to identify a low and stable self-esteem

As in high and stable self-esteem, what happens outside does not manage to modify the self-assessment of the person, which is always very low. Even successes can not twist their devalued look on themselves.

Frequently this personality trait is accompanied by an inattention to his personal image, indecision and fear of failure or error. Their negative assessment of themselves leads them to not be able to sustain their points of view in confrontations with others.

Having low and unstable self-esteem

In these cases, they also feel a negative assessment of themselves, as in the previous example. However, their self-esteem can be raised by external events, with an achievement, a successful decision, etc .; although this gives up quickly when that situation happens and the self-esteem drops again.

They tend to be encouraged to say their opinion, but they do not have the possibility of defending it against others, due to the feelings of inferiority that accompany low self-esteem.

As you will see these features for each type of self-esteem, although brief, allow us to recognize quite clearly our behavior or that of other people. Now we propose to review what is yours (and if necessary find strategies to strengthen self-esteem!). I think I've already discovered mine ... This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Psychologist. We advise you to consult your trusted Psychologist.

The Difference Between Self Confidence & Self Esteem w/ Psychotherapist Hugh Barton (February 2024)