Where Does Poor Self-Esteem Start?

A positive attitude towards oneself can be threatened by the things around the person. Low self-esteem is usually influenced by the wrong attitude of comparing oneself with other people. Envy leads to negative thoughts of oneself and can result to low self-esteem. A factor that can affect self-esteem is the amount of kinship one feels with family, or the people in one’s surroundings. If everyone except oneself, for example, loves sports, it can lead to feelings of being misunderstood, which in turn can lead to lower self-esteem

There are many reasons for poor self-esteem. Everybody needs to feel appreciated, recognized and respected simply for who they are. Self-esteem is easily weakened if a person is often told during his or her up-bringing that he or she is not good enough, or is worthless. At the same time, a person who has mainly received praise and approval when he or she has achieved something, for example in sports or in an exam, may feel that his or her self-worth is dependent on achievement, instead of inner qualities. Self-esteem is also negatively affected if one does not get enough recognition and attention during up-bringing. The feeling of self-worth is affected by circumstances during one’s up-bringing, but different people are also more or less sensitive from the beginning. Some do not care at all what others think, while others are more easily influenced.