ABSTRACT
For some of the afflicted, one of the most addictive features of negative self-evaluation is its ability to make one "special". Few people manage, by themselves, to fix their self-evaluation in the high position, so they twist themselves into knots to get the approval they require. High self-esteem is all about self. Searching for it promotes interest and involvement in the self. The search does not serve any social purpose and does not necessarily promote the interests of the person engaged in it. The search itself often produces oscillating self-representation. The search itself often produces oscillating self-representation. Oscillating self-representation is a feature of some serious syndromes, including borderline personality organization, but it exists in milder form. Guilt tended to keep our ancestors in line at a time when staying on the good side of the group was the only way to survive. Guilt is less useful when mild disapproval, even from strangers, can trigger depression.
