The types of self-esteem can be classified into several levels, according to the best known and most used models: Hornstein and Ross. Self-esteem is the appreciation and esteem one has for oneself; It is extremely important to lead a good quality of life and have personal and professional success.
Self-esteem is innate in every individual from birth and changes throughout our lives as we develop. We don’t always have the same self-esteem, as it changes due to our relationship with the world around us and the society we live in.
On the other hand, a person’s self-esteem needs to be “fed” externally continuously, so that it develops properly from childhood.
The first five self-esteem lessons that we present belong to Hornstein’s classification and the last three to Ross.
Types of self-esteem according to Hornstein
1- High and stable self-esteem
This type can correspond to strong or high self-esteem, as people with this type of self-esteem are not influenced by what happens negatively around them.
In addition, he is able to defend his point of view in a calm manner and they successfully develop over time without falling apart.
2- High and unstable self-esteem
These people are also characterized by high self-esteem, but not maintenance over time.
Typically, they don’t have enough tools to face stressful environments that tend to destabilize them; therefore, they do not accept faults or accept positions opposite to theirs.
3- Stable and low self-esteem
These people are characterized by being underestimated all the time, i.e. thinking that they cannot do what they set out to do.
On the other hand, they are very hesitant and fear being wrong; therefore, they will always seek the support of another person. Nor do they fight for their views, as they are usually evaluated negatively.
4- Unstable and low self-esteem
We could say that people who have this self-esteem are those who prefer to remain unnoticed all the time and who think they can’t achieve anything.
On the other hand, they are usually very sensitive and influential and prefer not to confront anyone, even knowing that the other person is not right.
Inflated self-esteem by 5
People with this type of self-esteem are characterized by having a strong personality and believing themselves to be better than the people around them. Therefore, they never listen to them or pay attention to them.
They also often blame others in stressful situations and have a very large ego. They are not able to correct their own mistakes or criticize themselves. They are characterized by being very materialistic and superficial.
Types of self-esteem according to Ross
According to Ross, a person can have a collapsed, vulnerable and strong self-esteem.
1- Collapsing or low self-esteem
People who have it often don’t appreciate themselves, which leads to them not feeling good about their lives.
This makes them overly sensitive to what others might say about them; therefore, if it is negative, it will harm them, and if it is positive, it will increase their self-esteem.
They may also feel sorry for themselves and even shame. If a teenager shows this kind of self-esteem at the institute, he may be bullied or bullied by his classmates and even excluded.
2- Vulnerable or fair self-esteem
In this type, the person has a good self-concept, but their self-esteem is fragile in the face of negative situations such as: the loss of a loved one, not getting what they want or want…
This will lead you to create defense mechanisms to avoid such situations or having to make decisions, as you are afraid of being wrong and doing wrong things.
3- Strong or high self-esteem
It consists of having an image and a self-concept strong enough so that any mistake made will not be able to influence self-esteem.
People with this self-esteem are not afraid of making mistakes and tend to overwhelm optimism, humility and joy.
How do you explain having one type and not another self-esteem?
Self-esteem is formed as we grow, thanks to our relationship with ourselves and with the environment and people around us.
There are several factors that influence the type of self-esteem you have:
Family and friends
Our parents will be responsible for building our self-esteem from the moment we are born. If they don’t keep this in mind, it can negatively affect the labels or comments they attach to us when they talk to us: “you’re stupid” or “you’re a naughty child” are some common examples.
As the child grows, his self-esteem is strengthened or weakened based on these labels, which, like his parents, place on his teachers and friends.
Scope of goals and objectives
To enjoy good self-esteem, something very important that must exist in our lives are goals and objectives.
Getting some of them will give us the confidence we need and also increase the positive perception people have of us, which in turn will influence positively.
Attention received
Being accepted and respected by the people around us also helps us to develop a type of self-esteem, in this case the high type.
On the other hand, interest in the people you care about is also another element to consider that will help build self-esteem.
What is the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?
Self-confidence refers to the objectives or goals that a person proposes and their ability to achieve them, while self-esteem is understood as a global assessment that a person makes of himself.
An example would be: I am an excellent painter and I know I will have many exhibitions around the world (self-confidence), but I don’t like my body or how I speak, and even the way I need to use the brush, etc.
How can we improve our self-esteem?
If you have low or fair self-esteem and want to improve it, here are some tips you can start applying in your life.
I love you
Loving yourself is one of the best remedies out there for boosting self-esteem. If we only look at our flaws and what we don’t do correctly, we will live disappointed and frustrated with ourselves.
Therefore, we have to pay more attention to those who make us special and unique and who also give us phenomenal things to do.
don’t be a perfectionist
Perfection doesn’t exist as such, there will always be something that we don’t know how to do very well. Being extremely critical will not benefit us and will damage our self-esteem and our love for ourselves.
Accept failures constructively
Everyone is wrong and we also have to allow ourselves to be wrong, because if we are not wrong, we can never learn correctly. It should be seen as a source of learning and not as a personal attack.
set realistic goals
We have to be able to set goals that are achievable and that we can meet in the short and long term. If not, it will only create discomfort and, again, we will not be happy with ourselves.
feel proud
We should be proud of who we are and who we have achieved in our lives, because it was the result of our unique and exclusive effort and dedication.
If you want to continue delving into this topic, you cannot miss the article: 14 world experts think about how to improve self-esteem.
