Self Esteem, Acceptance
Some argue self-esteem does not relate the valued outcomes of good behavior and academic achievement, so it made no sense to teach it in schools. Others have argued that the methods used to teach self-esteem either did not work, rote repititon of I love me did not actually produce self-esteem. Becoming more likely to backfire, doing more harm than good, making recipients less able to accept criticism. Some go so far as to say that the self-esteem movement may have produced a generation of entitled and narcissistic adults.
Evolutionary psychologists would argue that dominance hierarchies make societies function efficiently. If you believe that self-esteem is basically the same thing as dominance, you would have to agree that it would be just as impossible for everyone to have high self-esteem just as it would be for everyone to take dominant social roles.
If we can't build high self-esteem in everyone, we might look to build more of self-esteem's quieter sister, self acceptance. Self-acceptance is less about how you compare to others and more about how you feel about yourself. The term self-acceptance might feel like the equivalent of passive resignation to one's lot in life, giving up the hope of self-improvement. By self-acceptance, I mean dealing compassionately with the self through successes and failures alike. Such self-acceptance may be essential to growth, and unlike self-esteem, it is not a zero-sum game.
Psychology Today
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