Self-Esteem Research, Theory, and Practice Toward a Positive ...

104 SELF-ESTEEM RESEARCH, THEORY, AND PRACTICEEnhancing Self-Esteem Requires PracticeThe last factor to be included in any self-esteem enhancement formataffects all the others, so perhaps it is the most important. In spite of popularbooks to the contrary, the evidence shows that enhancing self-esteemin a lasting way takes considerable time and work. There is no effective“1-minute to self-esteem” program. There are several reasons for this, ofcourse, but they can be summed up most succinctly by pointing out thatself-esteem problems take a long time to develop: They usually involvedeeply ingrained habits of perception, experience, and behavior, all ofwhich are well cemented by the time we reach adulthood. These selfesteemhabits shape our world in ways that are both subtle and complex,meaning that change requires considerable unlearning as well as newlearning, both of which take time. In the final analysis, then, self-esteemis increased through hard work and practice: In the end, there is simplyno escaping this basic existential fact.Integrating the TechniquesIt might first appear as though these 10 tools for enhancing self-esteem,which emerge from examining the literature, do not seem like much in theway of results. However, they are actually quite valuable because they arethe most valid techniques we have available today, suggesting that they canbe used with some confidence and clinical credibility. Although there maynot be a great wealth of hard experimental evidence to support the efficacyof a few of these techniques, we have seen that it is possible to mount aclear rationale for using all of them in self-esteem work. Indeed, it shouldbe obvious that some of the methods are valuable because they facilitate asense of worthiness, which grounds them in that part of the structure,whereas others are important because they increase the behavioral skillsnecessary to become more competent at living. A few techniques even seemto involve both worthiness and competence. This information may besummed up in an information map, such as the one shown in Table 3.1.Table 3.1Integrating Self-Esteem Enhancement TechniquesWorthiness-Based TechniquesAcceptancePositive feedbackCompetence- and Worthiness-BasedCognitive restructuringAssertiveness trainingSelf-esteem momentsCompetence-Based TechniquesModelingProblem solvingCommon Format FactorsGroup workIndividual workPractice