2 ) Too high self esteem is linked to criminality
It is now clear that too high self esteem or ' High Self Esteem Disorder ' is often more of a problem . ( This is NOT merely a ' disguised ' form of low self esteem , as commonly thought ). So , if you are the victim of a bully then you can rest assured you don ' t have to feel sorry for them .
Hundreds of pieces of reliable research now show that bullies and many criminals are much more likely to suffer from unrealistically high self esteem and impulse control than low self esteem . An exaggerated sense of entitlement - expecting much from many situations - is more likely to lead to frustration and aggressive , antisocial , or even criminal behaviour . It was a crazy and unwarranted assumption that all human behaviour could be explained away by low self esteem .
So what are the symptoms of real low self esteem ? 3 ) Characteristics of genuinely low self esteem
1 . Social withdrawal 2 . Anxiety and emotional turmoil 3 . Lack of social skills and self confidence . Depression and / or bouts of sadness 4 . Less social conformity 5 . Eating disorders 6 . Inability to accept compliments 7 . An Inability to see yourself ' squarely ' - to be fair to yourself 8 . Accentuating the negative 9 . Exaggerated concern over what you imagine other people think 10 . Self neglect 11 . Treating yourself badly but NOT other people 12 . Worrying whether you have treated others badly 13 . Reluctance to take on challenges 14 . Reluctance to put yourself first or anywhere . 15 . Reluctance to trust your own opinion 16 . Expecting little out of life for yourself .
So what is likely to cause very low self esteem ? One major factor is history .