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Is self-esteem a failed ideology?

Self-esteem is a failed ideology, the “science” is based on a statistical fallacy, there is little evidence that efforts to promote self-esteem work, and in its popular form of “boosterism”, self-esteem promotion comes with hazardous and unwanted side effects, according to Glynn Harrison in his book Ego Trip: Rediscovering Grace in a Culture of Self-Esteem. We need a wholly different approach to the age-old question of how we should think about ourselves.

These statements are quite shocking, given the extent to which the importance of self-esteem is accepted unquestioningly in modern culture. According to the author:

  • Self-esteem ideology exploded into popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s as an explanation for just about everything that psychologists, educationalists and politicians worry about;
  • In the 1980s, programs for boosting children’s self esteem were integrated into school classrooms around the world;
  • Churches embraced self-esteem ideology by catering to attendees’ narcissistic obsessions with choice and individuality;
  • By the mid-1990s, the average child had a higher self-esteem than 73% of children from 1979;
  • However, although today’s young Americans are more confident, assertive and entitled than ever, then are also more miserable than ever before;
  • Statistically validated research reveals no causal link between low self-esteem and risky sexual behaviour, drug abuse, and anti-social behaviour;
  •  In fact, anti-social behaviours are often linked with excessive self-belief and self-regard;
  • There has been a significant rise in extreme narcissistic behaviours in recent years, although there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that the self-esteem movement is the primary cause.

So, what is the answer? According to the author, the answer for Christians is to change their mindset from a focus of “what’s good for me” to one of what’s good for God’s kingdom or what’s good for God’s glory. Like happiness, true significance is discovered in aiming for something else.

This is a challenging and thought-provoking book, which deserves to be read widely, particularly by Christians involved in church leadership, counselling and education.