Self-Confidence And Self Esteem

Abstract
The subject of self confidence and self esteem is considered one of the oldest themes in social sciences following the initial introduction of the topic more than a century ago by William James (1890/1983) in what is often regarded as America’s first psychology textbook. Over the past few years, there has been increased interest in the research, theory and practice of self-confidence and its psychology. The importance of self confidence as a topic of interest in social sciences, especially psychology may be attributed to the fact that it is a behavioral attribute that is active in a neutral, negative or positive state of being and it encompasses the full spectrum of human life and the continuum that is human behavior (Richards, 2006)

The obscure relationship between the two stems from how they both affect one’s orientation of the self. In psychology and sociology, self-esteem is a continuum that is directly influenced by the total sum of factors that define one’s overall existence in terms of their self-value and self-worth. Therefore, self esteem relates directly to how one appraises and rates oneself generally. It is not uncommon individuals to measure their self-esteem in relation to others. For example, an individual might constantly see themselves as less, equal or better than those around them in terms of social and economic measures (Craig,

As a result, ethnic and racial identity plays a role in the self confidence and esteem of individuals. So as to associate self confidence and esteem to the issue of race, ethnicity and culture, the two are explored in context of a risk and resilience framework based on individual characteristics and environmental factors. Additionally, in the case of race, culture and ethnicity, there arises the paradigm of group self esteem and personal self esteem where an individual’s confidence and esteem levels vary depending on how they indentify as a group or as an individual (McGee & Griffiths,