Dr. Neff Self Esteem

Low self-esteem has been an issues with many people since before the 1970’s. This issue has gradually picked up since the 70’s and has progressed 37% in the last 200

Barbara Lazear Ascher writes a well formed essay on the concept of compassion. Compassion is something that we do for others out of the kindness of our hearts. She focuses more on the poor, just how we show them sympathy, why do we do such things. Is showing empathy from our hearts or just for them to go away. I enjoyed this essay due to the fact, that she gives humanistic reasons on why people are compassionate, she doesn’t sugar coat anything, and lastly she breaks down the compassion that she sees everyday.

Most people face self esteem problems at different levels. At some point in life people face this problem without realizing it. In the essay The Trouble with Self-Esteem written by Lauren Slater starts of by demonstrating a test. Self esteem test that determines whether you have a high self-esteem or low self-esteem. The question to be answered however is; what is the value and meaning of self-esteem? The trouble with self-esteem is that not everyone approaches it properly, taking a test or doing research based of a certain group of people is not the way to do so.

The essay, On Compassion By Barbara Lazear Ascher, addresses the subject by going beyond the origin and reasoning for compassion. Her interpretation of compassion involves the way people are able to empathize with it. The use of rhetorical devices allows the author to adequately teach readers the idea of compassion. The use of organization, figurative language, and ethos allows her to convey the concept of compassion through her feelings. Her portrayal grants readers the ability to express compassion in their own way.

Compassion, by definition, is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. In our modern society, compassion plays a major role in the act of kindness. Many people believe that doing a good deed is a selfless act since they do not get nothing in return. Others believe that doing a good deed to make you feel good about yourself is selfish. It is a theory that causes you to ponder on the purpose of compassion. In Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay, On Compassion, she contemplates this theory. By using a variety of writing techniques, Ascher is able to share her views on compassion in way that speaks to the audience.

Self esteem is how an individual evaluates their worth as a person. It is not a person’s talents or abilities or how they are seen by others It is seen as the feeling of not being good enough. However, that does not mean people with high self esteem view themselves as

Compassion is a very complex, and often times, confusing aspect of human nature. Compassion is thought by some to be an innate human emotion that is the separating force between humans and animals. Others would argue that compassion in humans is influenced by the environments and situations in which they are exposed to and can be mistaken for selfish ulterior motives or fear. The essay On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher tells her view of compassion through events she has experienced with homeless people, compassion shown towards them, and how these experiences shaped her opinion on the emotion. Ascher explains her perspective on compassion through her thesis in the passage stating “Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition.

Usually in my life I will experience a few negative emotions and thoughts and then briefly affirm that what I am believing is untrue and then switch my mind to something different. I also have journals that I will write in every once in a while, but it isn’t something I use for overcoming negative emotions. Coming from a conservative, religious family I have always heard that meditation is bad. While Neff practices Buddhist meditation and uses some of these ideas in her programs to teach self-compassion, after listening to one of the meditation podcasts, I can see the benefit. The meditation practices she developed helps one relax, become more self-aware, and focused on thoughts of love and compassion not only towards oneself but also towards others. Another aspect that I had not taken into consideration is the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem. As Neff explains, self-esteem is basically one’s perceived value and worth; however, it is contingent on how one is compared to another. I have never looked at self-esteem being a problematic, negative term, now I understand the aspects of it that can be detrimental to ones well-being. Always striving to have high self-esteem leads us to put other people down in the process, it also insinuates that we have to be perfect and better to be worthy, which is the opposite of what Neff’s concept of self-compassion entails. Our society thrives on the idea that one has to be better than their counterpart, what we lack is this idea of self-compassion. Therefore, I think it would be very beneficial to teach self-compassion in children; this may lead to an overall more compassionate generation that flourishes on how we can help each other and ourselves

Nothing is more important in life than having positive self-esteem and a positive outlook on life. With positive self-esteem, a person can accomplish just about anything they put their mind to. Developing self-esteem starts from the day a baby is born and continues throughout their life, but unfortunately, this development is not always complete for some by the time they are adults. If we have low confidence in ourselves and our ability to succeed, it’s time to take another look at how we can build confidence. First of all, it’s important to recognize and believe that positive

Attention getter: Compassion is not taught; it is gained through experiences which soon becomes to define one as an individual. The more we hurt, they more we begin to acknowledge the presence of others.

Likewise, those who had less were more likely to struggle with their separation. Those who did not complete both follow-up tests were also found to have rated having less self-compassion on the first test, than those who completed all three follow-ups. The key analysis was the follow-up assessments along with the original. Without these tests, it would be much harder to gauge how self-compassion influenced a participant’s mindset over

At a deeper level too, the approach makes it feasible to address more personal issues regarding self-worth. So, while the therapy takes on board the task of tackling individual assumptions

Five articles assessed self-compassion and depressive symptoms: four from a non-clinical sample, and one from both a clinical sample and a non-clinical sample. In a cross-sectional study of 142 depressed outpatients and 120 never-depressed individuals from a non-clinical sample, clinically depressed patients were significantly less self-compassionate than never-depressed individuals (Krieger, Altenstein, Baettig, Doerig, & Holtforth, 2013). In the depressed outpatients, self-compassion was negatively related to depressive symptoms, symptom-focused rumination as well as cognitive behaviour avoidance. In another study, involving 271 participants from a non-clinical sample, that examined the mediators of the relationship between self-compassion and depression and anxiety, results suggest that one way via which self-compassion has a buffering effect on depression and anxiety is through its positive effects on unproductive repetitive thinking (Raes, 2010).

My interpretation of self-criticizing would be the mean things that I say or do to myself when I am less than perfect. Unfortunately I did not realize this was an area of harm to not only others but to myself. I have known in the past that I am an overly critical person and I am as critical with others. I do repeat the process and continually bring up the conflict if I feel it has not been properly resolved in the past. I also bring up the conflict to remind the other party of the wrong they did. A contribution to this component is unrealistically high standards. Since my standards may be set to high I am unable to fully reach them. This results in tasks not being accomplished and harsh judging on myself or

Although self-esteem is not crucial for success and academic achievement, it is essential for the well-being of individuals. In the Ted Talk, How to practice emotional first aid, Guy Winch states, “We know from dozens of studies that when your self-esteem is lower, you are more vulnerable to stress and anxiety” (13:07). This means that people with low self-esteem are more likely to experience a lot stress and have