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Poverty And Low Self-Esteem

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Self-esteem, high or low, is more depictive of a story we tell about ourselves. This is who I am. This is what I can do and this is how I think you visualize me. “Our assessments of our own worth are based on the judgements we imagine others make of us.” Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley states. “Moreover, our guesses about these judgements depend upon the qualities we see in these other people” (Cooley, 1902). Society appears to view the poverty-stricken as unconfident/having little self-worth/having low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a weakened state that prevents someone from reaching self-actualization. One feels incompetent, inferior to others, and not good enough or worthy enough in life. Thus there is a feeling of shame. Low self-esteem with its feelings of shame, has long been considered fundamental parts of poverty. Amartyra Sen relates “the ability to go without low self-esteem (or shame) should be considered a basic capacity that is incorporated into general conceptions of poverty” (Reyes, 2007). Claims that poverty in early America provided the fulcrum for low self-esteem among the poor in society, were not all together true. Consequently, low self-esteem does not cause poverty. If that were the case, would not everyone with low self-esteem be impoverished? Booker T. Washington, once said: "I believe that any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement, if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day, and as nearly as

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