ABSTRACT
Positive self-esteem is one of the most valuable things a person can possess, yet parents cannot will it to their children, and intimate partners cannot bestow it upon each other. Unfortunately, in most intimate relationships, a partner’s power to diminish the other’s self-esteem is much greater than his power to enhance it (though even that has its limits). Positive self-esteem is not an innate trait; it is acquired as the result of self-evaluation. Our esteem grows primarily from facing challenges, managing to do the things that we regard as difficult but valuable. We each have to earn our own respect! Although a parent or a partner cannot give positive self-esteem, there are things they can do to facilitate its growth.
