Editing Self-esteem (section)

==History==
The concept of self-esteem has its origins in the 18th century, first expressed in the writings of the [[Scottish Enlightenment|Scottish enlightenment]] thinker [[David Hume]]. Hume posits that it is important to value and think well of oneself because it serves a motivational function that enables people to explore their full potential.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|first=David|last=Hume|chapter-url=https://davidhume.org/texts/m/app2|title=An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals|chapter=Of Self-Love|year=1777|orig-year=1751|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Morris|first1=William Edward|title=David Hume|year=2019|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/hume/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Summer 2019|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=2019-12-17|last2=Brown|first2=Charlotte R.}}</ref>

The identification of self-esteem as a distinct psychological construct has its origins in the work of philosopher and psychologist, [[William James]]. James identified multiple dimensions of the self, with two levels of hierarchy: processes of knowing (called the "I-self") and the resulting knowledge about the self (the "Me-self"). The observation about the self and storage of those observations by the I-self creates three types of knowledge, which collectively account for the Me-self, according to James. These are the material self, social self, and spiritual self. The social self comes closest to self-esteem, comprising all characteristics recognized by others. The material self consists of representations of the body and possessions and the spiritual self of descriptive representations and evaluative dispositions regarding the self. This view of self-esteem as the collection of an individual's attitudes toward itself remains today.<ref name="James1892">{{cite book |last=James |first=William |title=Psychology: The briefer course |publisher=Henry Holt |year=1892 |edition=9th |location=New York |pages=240–241}}</ref>

In the mid-1960s, social psychologist Morris Rosenberg defined self-esteem as a feeling of self-worth and developed the [[Rosenberg self-esteem scale]] (RSES), which became the most widely used scale to measure self-esteem in the social sciences.<ref name="BaumeisterSmartBoden1996">{{cite journal |last1= Baumeister |first1= Roy F. |last2= Smart |first2= L. |last3= Boden |first3= J. |year= 1996 |title= Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: The dark side of self-esteem |journal= [[Psychological Review]] |volume= 103 |issue= 1 |pages= 5–33 |doi= 10.1037/0033-295X.103.1.5 |pmid= 8650299|citeseerx= 10.1.1.1009.3747 }}</ref>

In the early 20th century, the [[Behaviorism|behaviorist movement]] shunned introspective study of mental processes, emotions, and feelings, replacing introspection with objective study through experiments on behaviors observed in relation with the environment. Behaviorism viewed the human being as an animal subject to reinforcements, and suggested making psychology an experimental science, similar to chemistry or biology. Consequently, clinical trials on self-esteem were overlooked, since behaviorists considered the idea less amenable to rigorous measurement.<ref name="Bonet">{{cite book|chapter=Prólogo|first=José-Vicente|last=Bonet|title=Sé amigo de ti mismo: manual de autoestima|year=1997|editor-first=Sal|editor-last=Terrae|publisher=Maliaño|location=Cantabria, España|language=es-ES|isbn=978-8429311334|edition=15ᵃ}}</ref>

In the mid-20th century, the rise of [[Phenomenology (psychology)|phenomenology]] and [[humanistic psychology]] led to a renewed interest in self-esteem as a treatment for psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. Psychologists started to consider the relationship between [[psychotherapy]] and the personal satisfaction of people with high self-esteem as useful to the field. This led to new elements being introduced to the concept of self-esteem, including the reasons why people tend to feel less worthy and why people become discouraged or unable to meet challenges by themselves.<ref name="Bonet"/>

In 1992, the [[political scientist]] [[Francis Fukuyama]] associated self-esteem with what [[Plato]] called {{transliteration|grc|[[thumos|thymos]]}}—the "[[spiritedness]]" part of the [[Plato's tripartite theory of soul|Platonic soul]].<ref name=":6">{{cite book
| last1 = Fukuyama | first1 = Francis
| author-link1 = Francis Fukuyama
| year = 1992
| title = The End of History and the Last Man
| location = New York | publisher = Simon and Schuster
| publication-date = 2006
| pages = xvi-xvii
| isbn = 978-0743284554
| quote = ...Plato in the ''Republic''... noted that there were three parts to the soul, a desiring part, a reasoning part, and a part that he called ''thymos'', or 'spiritedness.'... The propensity to feel self-esteem arises out of the part of the soul called ''thymos''.}}</ref>

From 1997, the [[core self-evaluations]] approach included self-esteem as one of four dimensions that comprise one's fundamental appraisal of oneself—along with [[locus of control]], [[neuroticism]], and [[self-efficacy]].<ref name="Judge1997">{{cite journal | last1= Judge |first1= T. A. |last2= Locke |first2= E. A. |last3= Durham |first3= C. C. |year= 1997 |title= The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach |journal= Research in Organizational Behavior |volume= 19 |pages= 151–188 }}</ref>  The concept of core self-evaluations has since proven to have the ability to predict job satisfaction and job performance.<ref name="Judge1997"/><ref name="judge1998b">{{cite journal |last1= Judge |first1= T. A. |last2= Locke |first2= E. A. |last3= Durham |first3= C. C. |last4= Kluger |first4= A. N. |year= 1998 |title= Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluations |journal= Journal of Applied Psychology |volume= 83 |issue= 1 |pages= 17–34 |doi= 10.1037/0021-9010.83.1.17 |pmid= 9494439 }}</ref><ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal |last1= Bono |first1= J. E. |last2= Judge |first2= T. A. |year= 2003 |title= Core self-evaluations: A review of the trait and its role in job satisfaction and job performance |journal= European Journal of Personality |volume= 17 |issue= Suppl1 |pages= S5–S18 |doi= 10.1002/per.481 |s2cid= 32495455 }}
|2={{cite journal |last1= Dormann |first1= C. |last2= Fay |first2= D. |last3= Zapf |first3= D. |last4= Frese |first4= M. |year= 2006 |title= A state-trait analysis of job satisfaction: On the effect of core self-evaluations |journal= Applied Psychology: An International Review |volume= 55 |issue= 1 |pages= 27–51 |doi= 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2006.00227.x }}
|3={{cite journal |last1= Judge |first1= T. A. |last2= Bono |first2= J. E. |year= 2001 |title= Relationship of core self-evaluations traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis |journal= Journal of Applied Psychology |volume= 86 |issue= 1 |pages= 80–92 |doi= 10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.80 |pmid= 11302235 |s2cid= 6612810}} }}</ref> Self-esteem may be essential to self-evaluation.<ref name="judge1998b"/>

===In public policy===
The importance of self-esteem gained endorsement from some government and non-government groups starting around the 1970s, such that one can speak of a self-esteem movement.<ref name="BaumeisterCampbell2003" /><ref>{{cite book | last =  Nolan | first =  James L. | title = The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century's End | url =  https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-dRzYK1GugC | access-date = 2013-05-06 | year = 1998 | publisher = NYU Press | ISBN = 978-0814757918 | pages = 152–161}}</ref> This movement provides evidence that psychological research can shape public policy.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} This has expanded to recent years, such as in 2023, when psychologists are planning to re-invent the approach to research, treatments, and therapy. The new approach emphasizes population health <ref>{{cite web |title=Population Health Summit |url=https://www.health.ny.gov/events/population_health_summit/docs/what_is_population_health.pdf |website=New York State Department of Health }}</ref> where psychological researchers have prioritized one-one therapy in regards to analyzing social emotional conflict like low self-esteem.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weir |first1=Kristen |title=Psychologists are rebranding the field, expanding the one-to-one therapy approach |url=https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-rebranding-psychology |website=American Psychological Association }}</ref>  The underlying idea of the movement was that low self-esteem was the root of problems for individuals, making it the root of societal problems and dysfunctions. A leading figure of the movement, psychologist [[Nathaniel Branden]], stated: "[I] cannot think of a single psychological problem (from anxiety and depression to fear of intimacy or of success, to spouse battery or child molestation) that is not traced back to the problem of low self-esteem".<ref name="BaumeisterCampbell2003" />{{rp|3}}

It was once thought that self-esteem was primarily a feature of [[Western societies|Western individualistic societies]], as it was not observed in [[collectivist]] cultures such as Japan.<ref name=":7">
{{cite journal
 | author1= Heine S. J. |author2= Lehman D. R.
 | author3= Markus H. R. |author4= Kitayama S.
 | year = 1999
 | title = Is there a universal need for positive self-regard?
 | journal = Psychological Review | volume = 106
 | issue = 4 | pages = 766–794
 | doi = 10.1037/0033-295X.106.4.766 | pmid= 10560328
|citeseerx= 10.1.1.321.2156
 }}
</ref>
Concern about low self-esteem and its many presumed negative consequences led California assemblyman, [[John Vasconcellos]] to work to set up and fund the Task Force on Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, in California, in 1986. Vasconcellos argued that this task force could combat many of the state's problems – from crime and teen pregnancy to school underachievement and pollution.<ref name="BaumeisterCampbell2003" /> He compared increasing self-esteem to giving out a vaccine for a disease: it could help protect people from being overwhelmed by life's challenges.

The task force set up committees in many California counties and formed a committee of scholars to review the available literature on self-esteem. This committee found very small associations between low self-esteem and its assumed consequences, ultimately showing that low self-esteem was not the root of all societal problems and not as important as the committee had originally thought. However, the authors of the paper that summarized the review of the literature still believed that self-esteem is an independent variable that affects major social problems. The task force disbanded in 1995, and the National Council for Self-Esteem and later the [[National Association for Self-Esteem]] (NASE) was established, taking on the task force's mission. Vasconcellos and [[Jack Canfield]] were members of its advisory board in 2003, and members of its masters' coalition included [[Anthony Robbins]], [[Bernie Siegel]], and [[Gloria Steinem]].<ref name="BaumeisterCampbell2003" />