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Developing Self-Esteem
by Glenn Woiceshyn
Published in the Globe and Mail on Aug/2?/93.
Re: Fifth Column, Medicine--by Gabor Maté--Aug/16/93--The Globe and Mail
Gabor Mate' should not be surprised at the lack of self-esteem among today's teenagers.
Given the state of our culture, what else could be expected? Our schools encourage
an individual to subordinate to the group at the expense of learning how to think.
The culture at large encourages self- sacrifice to either society, the tribe, the
family, nature or the supernatural. Modern Art projects man as a helpless psychopath,
while environmentalism and religion project man as intrinsically evil. It takes an
unusual kind of person -- a hero -- to achieve a healthy self-esteem in such a swamp.
Mate' vague discussion of self-esteem in terms of "non-conditional valuation,"
"intrinsic value" and "boundaries" reveals a modern influence
that ignores the role of reason in acquiring self-esteem. Self-esteem, fully matured,
is reliance on one's power to think, which results in the recognition that one is
efficacious in thinking and thus in achieving one's values. Self-esteem requires
independence which involves being primarily oriented to reality, not to others.
Although children should be loved unconditionally while they are developing their
basic cognitive powers, unconditional love alone won't lead to a healthy self-esteem.
Dependence on such love is no substitute for independence.
Sincerely,
Glenn Woiceshyn
© 1997 Glenn Woiceshyn. All rights reserved.
This article can be found on-line at at http://www.capitalism.org/glennw. |
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