Self-esteem vs. achievement

Did I already write about this? Well here we are again. Working my way through my back-log which resulted from some very important commitments receiving my attention instead of the blog. I am amazed that I managed to get other things done at all.
If I already wrote about this, those who read this blog know that I am fascinated with the concept of self-esteem and how distorted it has become. Somehow, people have been convinced that telling young people they are wonderful will encourage them to do better. Why should they? They are already wonderful! Research which has followed not led the introduction of the concept indicates that the self-esteem movement which started many years ago is mis-guided.
In some cultures, especially Asian ones, high self-regard is thought to be a flaw, not a virtue. Our culture used to believe that too. We used to call such people "conceited" or "full of themselves" One problem is that these people have trouble seeing the world as it really is. They imagine that other people share their high opinion of themselves, even when other people think they're jerks. "People who have elevated or inflated views of themselves tend to alienate others" wrote social psychologist Roy Baumeister, who used to believe in the importance of self-esteem until he reviewed all the research.
Hopefully, some of those people who still support self-esteem for its own sake will review the research before more damage is done.