Thanks for the notes, Dutch. The issue is to esteem the self in proper
proportion. The roots of the word are related to estimatation, valuation,
appraisal. One may have low self-esteem as well as high. Either is bad: the
best to have an appropriate sense of self, a sense of self that permits one
to address the world in a proper way and to be addressed properly in
return.
The difficulty with the self-esteem movement has been the notion that one
must have high self-esteem no matter what. On a visit to America, I once
saw a T-Shirt sporting some kind of self-esteem message. I recall that it
had something to do with the wearer being proud to be this or that because
God made him or her and "God don't make no junk."
It sounds like this new book will set things in a more clear light,
bringing in all the complexities of relationship and being that make humans
what we are.
Ken Friedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Leadership and Strategic Design
Norwegian School of Management
Box 4676 Sofienberg
N-0506 Oslo, Norway
Phone: +47 22.98.51.07
Fax: +47 22.98.51.11
email: <
ken.friedman@bi.no>