The Self-Esteem Cult

Over on Andrew Sullivan's site there is a post debunking the self-esteem movement. Oh thank God. Someone had to do it. Of all the supposed secular virtues, "self-esteem" has got to be one of the most over rated. Here's a quote from a review of Barbara Ehrenreich's book on positive thinking:

In fact, as a brief recounting of Bob Torricelli's career would usefully illustrate, it can be a huge part of the problem. New research has found that self-esteem can be just as high among D students, drunk drivers and former Presidents from Arkansas as it is among Nobel laureates, nuns and New York City fire fighters. In fact, according to research performed by Brad Bushman of Iowa State University and Roy Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University, people with high self-esteem can engage in far more antisocial behavior than those with low self-worth. "I think we had a great deal of optimism that high self-esteem would cause all sorts of positive consequences and that if we raised self-esteem, people would do better in life," Baumeister told the Times. "Mostly, the data have not borne that out."

Racists, street thugs and school bullies all polled high on the self-esteem charts. And you can see why. If you think you're God's gift, you're particularly offended if other people don't treat you that way. So you lash out or commit crimes or cut ethical corners to reassert your pre-eminence. After all, who are your moral inferiors to suggest that you could be doing something, er, wrong? What do they know?

Sounds about right. I am sure God means well for us, but I have never been convinced that he wants us to be comfortable.

hmm. Maybe I should skip my happy pill tonight.

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