various studies<\/a> now beginning to get prominence. It seems that thinking highly of oneself and actually being a productive member of society don’t have much correlation.<\/p>\nRecently, however, some psychologists have begun debunking the notion that a poor self-image is the malady behind most of society’s complaints \u2014 and bolstering self-esteem its cure.<\/p>\n
“D” students, it turns out, think as highly of themselves as valedictorians, and serial rapists are no more likely to ooze with insecurities than doctors or bank managers.<\/p>\n
At the same time, high self-esteem, studies show, offers no immunity against bad behavior. Research by Dr. Brad J. Bushman of Iowa State University and Dr. Roy F. Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University finds that some people with high self-regard are actually more likely to lash out aggressively when criticized than those with low-self esteem. The list of groups \u2014 neo-Nazis, street toughs, school bullies \u2014 who combine preening self-satisfaction with violence belies the power of one to ameliorate the other.<\/p>\n
“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,” Dr. Baumeister said. “Mostly, the data have not borne that out.”<\/p>\n
Actually, it’s not all that surprising. Many self-esteem programs focused more on kids feeling good about themselves than on their actually accomplishing anything. Small wonder, then, that accomplishment and self-esteem don’t correlate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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June Nearly Sets An All-Time Moisture Record Stay on Target...Stay on Target: Eric Martin CIA Report Release Delayed Again: The Huffington Post News Team Masses Yearn To Huddle In Liberty's Reopened Crown: The Huffington\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Potpourri"","block_context":{"text":"Potpourri","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/potpourri"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2487,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/06\/14\/thank_heavens.html","url_meta":{"origin":3707,"position":4},"title":"Thank heavens","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 14-Jun-02 10:33am","format":false,"excerpt":"I was awfully worried that nearby Dry Creek Elementary might win the Nutty School Administrator Award of the Quarter for punishing kids playing \"Army and Aliens\" during recess (since it...","rel":"","context":"In "ZT & PC"","block_context":{"text":"ZT & PC","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/zt-pc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2864,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/09\/11\/not_alone.html","url_meta":{"origin":3707,"position":5},"title":"Not alone","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 11-Sep-02 10:00am","format":false,"excerpt":"Small tokens of esteem from Across the Pond, but appreciated nevertheless. 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