Glossary
Self-Esteem
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is your overall sense of your own worth. It concerns how you evaluate yourself as a person.
This differs from confidence in a particular skill. You can value yourself while knowing you are a terrible cook. You can also be very good at something and still feel bad about yourself.
How self-esteem is measured
A widely used questionnaire is the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. It asks people to rate agreement with 10 statements about their general feelings toward themselves. The University of Maryland’s scoring guide describes four response options, with negatively worded items scored in the opposite direction. One common total ranges from 0 to 30, with higher values indicating higher reported self-esteem. Other scoring conventions exist, so numbers should be compared only after checking the version used.
For example, a student could perform poorly on a mathematics test yet continue to regard themselves as a worthwhile person. Another could earn the highest mark while judging themselves harshly overall. The examination measures performance; the questionnaire measures reported self-evaluation. Neither score can substitute for the other.
What the outcome research shows
Orth and Robins (2022) review studies across relationships, education, work and health. They report generally modest beneficial associations, including findings that account for earlier levels of the outcome and measured alternative explanations. Such longitudinal comparisons are more informative than a one-time correlation, but statistical adjustment cannot rule out every unmeasured explanation. They also do not establish that any particular self-esteem program will reproduce those benefits; that program needs its own evaluation.
Why it matters
Research links self-esteem with well-being and social relationships. Orth and Robins review evidence on these outcomes.
When evaluating a program designed to raise self-esteem, ask what it changes in practice. Feeling better about yourself, learning a useful skill, and performing better are separate outcomes. A program should be judged on the outcome it promises.