I think it is highly hereditary.

May be somewhat uneven within a family's members,but if we compare two families on self esteem basis,I think we will always find that one family as a whole is standing on some different level of self esteem than the other family.

I've seen that if a person is having a high self esteem then usually all of his family members hold high self esteem.

What is your observation / opinion about this?

How about you & your mom,dad & siblings? Do you think you all are at same level of self esteem?

If yes,do you think it is genetically determined or family environment?

Not likely!

Self-esteem is reliance on one’s power to think. It cannot be replaced by one’s power to deceive. The self-confidence of a scientist and the self-confidence of a con man are not interchangeable states, and do not come from the same psychological universe. The success of a man who deals with reality augments his self-confidence. The success of a con man augments his panic.


No value is higher than self-esteem, but you’ve invested it in counterfeit securities—and now your morality has caught you in a trap where you are forced to protect your self-esteem by fighting for the creed of self-destruction. The grim joke is on you: that need of self-esteem, which you’re unable to explain or to define, belongs to my morality, not yours; it’s the objective token of my code, it is my proof within your own soul.


The man of authentic self-confidence is the man who relies on the judgment of his own mind. Such a man is not malleable; he may be mistaken, he may be fooled in a given instance, but he is inflexible in regard to the absolutism of reality, i.e., in seeking and demanding truth . . .

There is only one source of authentic self-confidence: reason.


Self-Esteem

To live, man must hold three things as the supreme and ruling values of his life: Reason—Purpose—Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge—Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve—Self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness, which means: is worthy of living.

http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/self-esteem.html


Above does NOT exist within your Genes!

It is a volitional act by an Individual!

My mom - high self-esteem.
Me - Absolutely low.

My dad - has "enough" to not be "high" or "lacking".

My friend's mom - moderate
His dad - moderate
His brother - high self esteem
Him - low self esteem

I think it depends heavily on numerous ideals.

it isn't hereditary as much as it is learned.
children learn from watching their parents.
add in the stimulants from life itself (peer pressure,experiences, etc)
that is what (i believe) creates and molds a person into what they are

You just have to tell yourself that you can out fight, out screw, out fart any other guy, until you believe it.

To the OP: Self Esteem is probably like just about every other aspect of human behavior: a mixture of nature and nurture.

A person who holds ABSOLUTELY LOW self esteem is able to correctly judge others high self esteem! Is that real?

I also observed that generally people with low self esteem prefers friendship with the one with low self esteem.

I think parents create self-esteem (high, low, or otherwise) in the child by the way they treat her. By the time the child is school age, what's done is done.

You are absolutely correct.

It is parents who make children feel importance about themselves.

If we treat them with inferiority,then how would be they able to stand straight in school or society.

But then that is learned, not genetic. I do think some families do a better job of it through the generations. They're the lucky ones, or just smarter than others somehow, maybe.

How isn't it "real"?

Just because one person is a pessimist, doesn't mean they can't spot an optimist, right? Same principle.



..I don't.
My best friend is the same, but most those I associate with more predominantly, hold much higher esteem levels then myself.

..out..fart? o.O

My esteem's getting better, due to a certain lady. -.-

..but overall, it's down there. o.o

Genetics play a role in everything that has to do with humans. That said, environment, role models, life experience, etc.... play a major role in how we view ourselves and interact with others.

So I would have to say both and more. Social attitudes effect us more than we realize.

If fat was deemed beautiful by society, there would be no one trying/dressing to be, worried about being, or believing skinny was a desired state of being. Nor would men be encouraged to seek skinny women by their shallow friends and family.

That principal won't be applicable here.

absolutelylow self esteemed person,won't be able to even think that much clearly about high self esteem.Normally if someone really knows what high self esteem is,then naturally he won't let himself to remain low on self esteem.

I think human attributes are 10 percent nature and 90 percent nurture, except where hormones are involved


I dont think self esteem is a hormonal issue, so I believe it is absorbed from ones initial environment and feedback

Your point about social attitude is correct.

Even country to country we can see clear difference in self esteem level.

My self esteem comes from the accomplishments in life I have managed. My family was dysfunctional so so much for environment/hereditary. I think (at least for me it did) it comes from succeeding at difficult tasks.

Perhaps to an extent, but I think environment plays a much bigger role and has much more influence on self esteem.

I agree.

I think my brother, sister and myself got our self-esteem (over inflated egos) from my Dad. But not through genetics...though our family is lucky with good genetics. We learned to be proud and confident, independant and take no crap honest people from the example Dad always set.

We were raised in Dad's Kyokushinkai Karate' school from day one till we left home. We were treated with lots of love and lots of physical discipline. Anything we wanted to try was encouraged even when looking back it had to be a pain in the @$$ for him.

I doubt genetics have anything to do with it. I spoke to my actual biological womb donor when I was 28 and had never met such a cowering, repressed, mentally defficient person in my life. My dogs got better self esteem than her. My brother inherited her eyes and nose. I inherited her hair and skinnyness. Thank god that being a cowering human doormat ain't inherited...it is learned by example.

I also at the same time spoke to a half-sister and half-brother....they were all the same. "Our dad only lets us listen to country music"..."our dad won't let me wear anything but blue jeans"..."he is letting me get my driver's liscence and get my first job serving water at a hotel" (My biological mother..AT 56 YEARS OLD..just getting her liscense and a job)

Blew my mind....

I couldn't be more grateful that my Dad raise me....cause otherwise...I woulda been f*#ked.

It is all in the raising.

I have high self-esteem.........I do not know how the self-esteem in my family is.....


I love myself enough......no one else has to, but I respect others and myself......I also hold others in high esteem......