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

Self-Esteem and Positive Psychology 231that it is a part of the natural cycle of human development, something weall need and must contend with in one way or another. Although one maycriticize such a characterization as being largely theoretical, we have seenresearch that identifies self-esteem as one of the three most importanttypes of need-based human experiences (Sheldon, Elliot, Kim & Kasser,2001). We have also found that understanding self-esteem as a fundamentalaspect of human development gives self-esteem tremendous psychologicalsignificance in at least two ways. One, it means that self-esteemhas motivational power: It drives behavior in a way that forces us tomaster life’s challenges so that we may feel valued and respected by ourselvesand by others. Failing to fulfill this need means that behavior isdriven in another direction, one that is not healthy. In this case the individualattempts to compensate for a lack of self-esteem which, dependingon how great the deficiency is, may manifest itself through all types ofnegative behaviors ranging from ordinary neurosis to a host of pathologicalconditions both within the DSM structure and beyond it.Two, self-esteem is also directly tied to one of the most importantand distinguishing aspects of humanistic psychology: growth and selfactualization.Rogers (1951, 1961), for instance, felt that self-esteem isnecessary for people to become “fully functioning,” which is one of thereasons he stressed the need for “unconditional positive regard” in childhoodand in the therapeutic relationship. Of course, when discussing thisaspect of humanistic psychology, it is important to remember that unconditionalpositive regard is a concept that often has been misused and mistakenlycriticized. Such a stance toward others does not mean welcomingor even accepting everything a child or client does. Rather, unconditionalpositive regard involves respecting the intrinsic worth and value of theother person as a unique human being at all times, even though it is necessaryto disapprove of certain forms of unworthy, incompetent, orunhealthy behavior when they are inappropriate. The point is that selfesteemis important in this positive psychology because it is tied to humandevelopment in general. For example, if one does not value one’s worthas a person in an authentic fashion, then it is difficult to know what toactualize in the first place.Similarly, even if one understands what merits actualization, it doesnot happen without a sufficient degree of competence. Finally, if one suffersfrom low self-esteem, then one may also risk being thrown off one’sintrinsic developmental track in ways that matter. For instance, such adevelopmental derailment increases the risk of developing one of themany mental disorders we saw connected to self-esteem earlier or, perhapseven worse, living an inauthentic life. In short, the place of selfesteemis well established and secure in the original vision of positivepsychology.