People With High Self-esteem: 7 Psychological Characteristics

Self-esteem is perhaps the most important pillar of our psychological architecture. From the time we are children and until we reach old age, perceiving and evaluating ourselves in a positive way helps us generate and take advantage of opportunities .

Recognizing our ability to make valuable contributions, to positively influence the environment or to take care of our interests makes us more attentive to what is happening in our ecosystem. Thus, being closer to reality, we are also better able to take advantage of it. But what characterizes people with high self-esteem?

We could define self-esteem as the emotional assessment we make of ourselves. This arises from a self-evaluation and includes what a person thinks and feels about himself and how he behaves in relation to it. Therefore, it is associated with whether the individual feels worthy and deserving of love and respect.

Establish secure attachment relationships

Self-esteem is closely related to the attachment style, and it is that this begins to develop in childhood, from the relationship that the baby establishes with its main figures. If they respond to his needs appropriately and consistently, offering love and respect, the child grows up feeling valuable and worthy of affection. In his first years of life he learns to trust himself and others, learning to manage relationships of interdependence.

The secure bonding style learned in childhood is transferred to other friendship, couple and other relationships, so these people are capable of feeling emotional closeness without falling into dependency. Thus, they enjoy healthy and generally long-lasting bonds.

They enjoy greater subjective well-being

Subjective well-being is defined by feelings of happiness, pleasure and life satisfaction and the absence of unpleasant emotional states.

This well-being, which we all want to achieve, is more accessible to people with high self-esteem. And, since we are the most important people in our life, maintaining a good relationship with ourselves ensures a greater degree of tranquility and joy.

Those who have good self-esteem feel more satisfied with who they are and, therefore, are able to appreciate their achievements, qualities and opportunities to a greater extent. Something that translates into a greater presence of positive emotions.

They enjoy better social relationships

To properly relate to others, we need to feel confident in ourselves. It is this security that allows us to be authentic, to show ourselves genuinely without fear of rejection and without the need to put on a mask to pretend.

Thus, people with high self-esteem do not need to hide or defend themselves, they do not usually feel anxiety when interacting socially and they manage to relate from balanced and satisfactory positions. The love and respect they feel for themselves they pass on to others, and it is also what they hope to receive in return. Hence, they are unlikely to engage or remain in toxic and damaging ties.

They are more optimistic and resilient

The person who knows himself valuable, worthy and deserving sees his future more open and bright. Self-confidence allows you to expect good results, since you know that you have the capabilities to achieve what you set out to do. In addition, you are more likely to focus on what works in your life, and how to improve those that do not work, rather than getting stuck in victimhood and self-pity.

On the other hand, when adversities appear, people with high self-esteem are better able to go through them, learn from them, recover and come out stronger. And it is that by having themselves, being willing to take care of themselves and lovingly accompany each other, they manage to carry out the processes more quickly and with less suffering.

They are assertive

Assertiveness implies being able to relate to others from a balanced position, in which we do not try to impose ourselves nor do we allow ourselves to be subjugated. And, for this, it is essential to have good self-esteem.

Those who possess it, manage to express their desires, emotions, opinions and needs firmly but with respect. They know how to set limits and do not resort to submission or aggressiveness to maintain their ties.

They learn from their mistakes and are capable of taking on challenges

We tend to think that despotic and self-centered people who never admit their mistakes have high self-esteem; But this is not so. Those who genuinely appreciate and value themselves do so with their lights and shadows, they do not need to appear perfect and are capable of accepting their faults and facing criticism.

Since they understand that error is part of the path, they are not afraid of it; on the contrary, they learn from their stumbles and rise up with renewed strength. Their good self-concept allows them to take on challenges, knowing that they will be able to reach their goal and that, if this does not happen, they will have learned valuable lessons along the way.

They are autonomous, responsible and easy-going

Finally, we can infer a person’s level of self-esteem by observing how they take charge of their own life. And it is that generally these individuals are autonomous, determined and independent; they stand up for themselves and take responsibility for their situation and their actions.

When self-esteem is lacking, the person perceives himself as weak and incapable and therefore tends to look to others for approval or support that he does not obtain from within.

We can all be people with high self-esteem

As you can see, having good self-esteem has numerous advantages on a personal and social level. For this reason, it is a dimension that is worked directly or indirectly so many times in consultation.

However, not all of us have had the right conditions to form a positive image of ourselves. Unfortunately, there are many people who have not had a teacher, an aid to identify all the good that is in them. Moreover, there are not a few who have had people around them who have made an effort to make them see the opposite.

If this is your case, you should know that you can work your self-esteem. For this it will be necessary that you analyze what concept you have of yourself, how it has come to be formed and what you need to change it. There are several guidelines and tools that can help you improve your self-esteem; however, having professional help is the best way to achieve your goal. Therefore, if you feel that you need it, do not hesitate to start this personal work, the results will not wait.