Low Self- Esteem
A low sense of self-worth might be characterized by a lack of confidence in one’s own skills. According to the “Texas Division of Student Affairs” article on counseling and mental health, self-esteem is more important than the typical ups and downs brought on by situational changes. Normal ups and downs can cause brief changes in how someone feels about themselves, but only to a certain degree, especially for those who have high self-esteem. While for others, these fluctuations have a significant effect on how low self-esteem individuals see themselves. Over the course of our lives, as we form an identity through interactions with other people and activities, our self-esteem changes. Having low self-esteem can stem from external forces, such as early childhood trauma and past experiences. Early childhood experiences are very important in forming one’s sense of self and allows for feelings of safety and love. Children’s positive emotional development is crucial since it will affect how well they manage their own emotions as well as their capacity to form positive interactions with peers. The article “Self Esteem and Mental Health” discusses how our upbringing—including the treatment we received from our peers, teachers, coaches, parents, and religious leaders—built our self-esteem.
People with poor self-esteem have deeply held self-beliefs that cause them to think negatively all the time because of prior trauma. Traumatic events have the power to undermine a person’s sense of self and have an impact on their self-esteem. Trauma frequently causes someone to believe that things are out of control, and they are not in control of their own circumstances. In the article “How Trauma Affects Your Self Esteem”, Trauma shatters trust in ourselves, others, and the world around. It gets harder to believe we should have good experiences and to feel protected. Rebuilding confidence can be difficult when there is a lack of trust because it might lower our self-esteem. Identity disruption can also result from early trauma. It can be difficult to feel confident in who we are, which can cause uncertainty and loss of identity when memories or triggers from the past come back to torment us. These obstacles prohibit us from moving forward with more beneficial thought patterns and make us feel stuck.
Trauma affects, challenges, and modifies your self-perception. It also tests your relationship with one’s own life and emotions. Disapproving parents, fear, bullying, and being lied to as a child can all be childhood causes of low self-esteem. According to the article “Self- Esteem and Mental Health”, health direct claims, a few things that can make someone feel bad include not fitting in at school, struggling to live up to parent’s expectations, and experiencing abuse or neglect. This results in a loss of identity as you become engrossed and fixated on the negative aspects of life. This could be explained by a situation in your life that triggered your sensitivity and led you to act in a way that was counterproductive. Whether you realize it or not, the experiences from your past—particularly the ones that led to your lack of confidence—still influence your day-to-day activities as you age.
Low self-esteem people believe they are unimportant and that nothing they do will change, while high self-esteem people believe they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Trauma’s detrimental effects on one’s sense of self-worth can contribute to harshness and self-hatred. In “The Toxic Effects of Negative Self-Talk” Author Elizabeth Scott states, self-talk that is critical prevents you from realizing your own potential and from having faith in your own talents. It’s any thinking that undermines your confidence and your capacity to change your life for the better. Therefore, having negative self-talk can seriously hinder your success in addition to being unpleasant. The article “Good Therapy” supports this idea by stating that trauma harms the mind by generating false thoughts and conclusions that don’t make sense. These ideas chip away at your self-worth and fuel negative perceptions to the point where the resulting crippling self-loathing makes you want to run away, hide, and always apologize for being alive.
The “Emotional and Psychological Trauma” document states that unresolved childhood trauma creates a sense of fear and powerlessness that persists into adulthood and paves the way for worse trauma and a decline in self-esteem. People with low self-esteem often hear this inner voice as a harsh, uncaring critic that makes them minimize their value and denigrate themselves. According to a study cited in the article “Trauma and Self Esteem,” the development of PTSD results in a reduction of memory and attentional function. This interferes with daily living and encourages self-denial, hence lowering one’s sense of self-worth. This “inner voice” constantly reminds your subconscious mind of the unpleasant feelings you’ve had in the past and reminds yourself of the negative lessons associated with those bad childhood events.
Low self-esteem can have devastating consequences. According to the “Texas Division of Student Affairs” article on counseling and mental health, low self-esteem can cause several problems, including difficulty managing one’s emotions, an inability to make educated choices, impaired cognitive functioning, increased sensitivity to stressors as an adult, and an increased risk for mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. These devasting effects could hinder someone’s career and academic success, as well as creating more negative feelings. One may enter a downward spiral of self-destructive behavior because of low self esteem.
References
Australia, H. (2023, -08-01T01:49:06.424Z). Self-esteem and mental health. Retrieved Nov 1, 2023, from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/self-esteem
CMHC Self Esteem. https://cmhc.utexas.edu/selfesteem.html
Emotional and Psychological Trauma – HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org. Retrieved Nov 1, 2023, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/coping-with-emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm
How to Reduce Negative Self-Talk for a Better Life. Verywell Mind. Retrieved Nov 1, 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-self-talk-and-how-it-affects-us-4161304
Mental Health: How Unresolved Childhood Trauma Impacts Adult Decision Making? Retrieved Nov 1, 2023, from https://www.india.com/health/mental-health-how-unresolved-childhood-trauma-impacts-adult-decision-making-6436317/
Susanne M. Dillmann.GoodTherapy | How Trauma Impacts Your Sense of Self: Part I. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/identity-trauma/
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
Am i able to get feedback on “argument” and “rhetorics” within this essay?
You’re doing solid work, BabyYoda, constructing cogent arguments that any patient, attentive reader will be able to follow. Esteem (high or low) is our fundamental belief in our own abilities and value, while circumstances (celebratory or devastating) are momentary and unlikely to alter our persistent self-image. But as I say that I realize I haven’t grabbed anybody’s attention, and, without their attention, they’re unlikely to stick around for Act Two. If there’s any chance you can get some people into these sentences, we’re more likely to care. The story is always about US, but we’ll attend to stories about other people as long as they reflect on US.
A quarterback being carried off the field by his exultant teammates after winning a championship game might be obsessing on the interception he threw instead of the 20 receptions if he has low self-esteem. Meanwhile, his high self-esteem running back has already forgotten his two fumbles and remembers only his one-yard touchdown. According to the “Texas Division of Student Affairs” article on counseling and mental health, self-esteem is more important than the typical ups and downs brought on by situational changes. No amount of outside evidence—not heaps of praise or tons of criticism—can shake the confidence of either individual in their own beliefs.
Look for opportunities to ILLUSTRATE your abstract concepts with colorful examples. Avoid the gray.
That’s both Argument and Rhetoric advice. You have the Logos part of your argument well handled. We now need to care, which is the job of rhetoric.
The “Emotional and Psychological Trauma” document states that unresolved childhood trauma creates a sense of fear and powerlessness that persists into adulthood and paves the way for worse trauma and a decline in self-esteem. Children whose egos have been crushed by a childhood of neglect, abuse, or mere indifference internalize their inner critic as a cruel parent; they often say, when asked about their life choices or accomplishments, “I always hear my father’s voice telling me I’ll never amount to anything. He’s in my head, finding fault, even when I’ve done something I should be proud of.” People with low self-esteem often hear this inner voice as a harsh, uncaring critic that makes them minimize their value and denigrate themselves.
You hardly need the last sentence at all once your made-up quote has made the point.
Maybe take a lesson from the “Color on Color” model in “The Opposite of a Black Sneaker.” Is there a source that can help you provide a Frank and an Ernest? Would you like some help finding one?
Swap out all your Second-Person language for First Person Plural. Calling your reader YOU in the context of low self-esteem is not friendly. Collaborate with your reader.
Trauma affects, challenges, and modifies OUR self-perception. It also tests OUR relationship with OUR life and emotions. Disapproving parents, fear, bullying, and being lied to as a child can all be childhood causes of low self-esteem. According to the article “Self-Esteem and Mental Health,” a few things that can make someone feel bad include not fitting in at school, struggling to live up to parent’s expectations, and experiencing abuse or neglect. ALL EARLY LIFE EXPERIENCES CAN COST US A loss of identity if WE become engrossed and fixated on the negative aspects of life. Whether WE realize it or not, the experiences from OUR past—particularly the ones that led to lack of confidence—still influence OUR day-to-day activities as WE age. WHEN WE act in ways that are counterproductive, WE can trace them back to circumstances that triggered our sensitivity.
The process here is to help the reader own up to conclusions you want to draw about SHARED human experiences instead of dumping it on them.