ABSTRACT
This chapter describes self-esteem, for which the emotional aspect of having a self, often described as love for oneself, is of central importance. Self-esteem is defined as a conscious feeling of own worth; pride in oneself; self-awareness. Self-esteem appears to have the psychological foundation enabling the growth of qualities such as happiness, security and consideration for others, and the reader is warned against confusing self-esteem with self-confidence. Good self-esteem functions like the psyche's immune system; it increases our resistance helps us to handle adversity, and it leads us in the direction of happiness and the satisfied version of ourselves. Self-esteem perhaps the foremost sign that we are living in a therapeutic culture. Self-love has traditionally been considered a moral sin in the Christian cultural heritage. The establishment of cosmetic surgery in Norway can help us to understand the scope of the self-esteem discourse.
