Definition

Some people possess immediate feelings of self-worth that fluctuate considerably from day to day or even within a given day. These people are said to have unstable self-esteem. Other people possess immediate feelings of self-worth that rarely, if ever, change. These people are said to have stable self-esteem. Consider Ashley who, when asked to consider the question “How worthy a person do you feel at this moment?” each morning and evening for 5 days, gives answers that vary considerably from “I feel very worthy” to “I feel useless.” Ashley possesses unstable self-esteem. In contrast, Heather's responses to that same question remain essentially the same over the same period (“I feel very worthy”), as do Mark's responses (“I feel pretty useless”). Both Heather and Mark possess ...