Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: Summary and Review
Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
Review
The main thesis of this book can be summarized succinctly by “self-efficacy” and “self-respect” which I detail below.
Summary
Self-esteem has two interrelated components:
- Self-efficacy: Confidence that you will be able to tackle life’s challenges
- Self-respect: Belief that you are worthy of happiness
The way that Nathaniel Branden defines self-esteem is NOT how most people define it.
Self-esteem is NOT feeling good about yourself.
A disservice is done to people if they are offered “feel good” notions of self-esteem that divorce it from questions of consciousness, responsibility, and moral choice.
Thinking is a key component of human beings, thinking is what keeps us alive, but thinking does not happen automatically like the way your heart beats.