I’ve been saying for years that all this trying to give kids “self-esteem” is a load of crap.
Michael J. Formica says, in Psychology Today that self-esteem is bad for you.
With the increased focus on children as the center of culture, we have also become more inclined to treat children with kid gloves (pun intended). In generations past, you were a star because you showed athletic promise, unusual scholarship, or were an asset to the community. These days, you’re a star just because someone tells you it’s so. And that is the crux of the problem.
Way to go, Mr. Rogers. Who, as it turns out, was not a sniper in Vietnam, nor does he have any tattoos, but he did infect an entire generation with a bad case of self-esteem.