Self-esteem is the quality that belongs to the individual satisfied with their identity, that is, a person endowed with confidence and who values himself.
Many people are unsure about the correct spelling of this term. THE correct form is self-esteem, which replaces the hyphenated word “self-esteem” from the New Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language, in January 2009.
In the context of psychology, self-esteem is a subjective assessment that a given individual makes of himself. In this case, characteristics such as dignity, respect and trust are present in that person's personality.
According to the studies of Sigmund Freud, self-esteem would be directly related to the development of ego.
Learn more about the meaning of ego.
Among the main synonyms of self-esteem, stands out: self-esteem, pride, pride, honor, haughtiness and dignity.
Low self esteem
Low self-esteem can be considered a depression symptom, when the depressed individual presents an insecure, negativistic behavior, of constant dissatisfaction and little confidence in his actions.
Low self-esteem also manifests itself in naturally insecure and anxious people, probably due to situations that occurred throughout their lives and contributed to impede the healthy development of their self esteem.
See also: the meaning of Depression.
self-esteem or high esteem
Another frequent doubt about the spelling of this word puts self-esteem and "high esteem" in opposition. The correct way is self-esteem, as the prefix "self" means "by itself", which indicates that self-esteem is the esteem that a person has for himself.
The prefix "high" is an adjective that indicates altitude, so high esteem does not exist. What may exist is "high self-esteem" which describes an individual who has a high self-esteem.
