ABSTRACT
One of the major components of depression, possibly even a source of depression, is low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can be a subtle and corrosive destroyer. It is characterized by negative statements that people make about themselves. Conditional self-esteem has some benefits, as it affirms some of one's talents and skills; it may motivate them to work hard, and to do their best, or to try to be a nice person. But conditional self-esteem also has its disadvantages; it is vulnerable to circumstances. Unconditional self-esteem is not so vulnerable; it is just a little harder to get one's head around what it is. People could possibly change many different aspects of themselves—just because they wanted to. Some of the areas of possible growth or change are: personal friends; job or career; family; leisure time; financial; education; tidiness, timeliness, and efficiency; health; image and self-image; appearance; living situation; and so on. This chapter provides some basic self-esteem strategies.
