The term ‘confidence’ is widely used in a variety of contexts in today’s society. It is an attribute well sought after for relationships, corporations, and almost any social phenomena under the sun. However, confidence is often confused with different words and phrases. This article will cover what is exactly mean by confidence, and distinguish it come self-efficacy, self-esteem, and how to apply them to hopefully make yourself more productive and sure of yourself.
While these terms are all undoubtedly related, and refers to a person’s view of themselves, they are distinctly different in how they operate. Though it is likely to, one may not affect the other, and it is important to recognize which area you struggle with before you try to correct it. All of the above terms important in their own way, so it is important to understand how each of them operates
Self-Esteem
As the largest term of the group, self-esteem can encompass many of these other separate terms. Self-esteem is the feeling a person has about oneself as a whole. Self-esteem is one’s general opinion of themselves as a person. This can encompass many different things, such as their worth to society, their abilities, or emotional stability. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-esteem is an essential need necessary before can people can start their self-actualization process. Self-esteem is necessary before people will strive to improve themselves
A lack of self-esteem can also cause a whole variety of problems emotionally. A lack of self-esteem will often cause a surplus of negative emotions, such as guilt, depression, sadness, and anxiety. Having a strong sense of self-esteem can result in a person being more active in what they want, and will result in them having confidence in themselves as a person. People with good self-esteem can more easily strive for self-improvement and new projects as well, as modeled by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Self-confidence
While self-confidence and self-esteem seem similar and are sometimes even used interchangeably, they are not the same. While self-esteem is a person’s view of themselves in general, self-confidence specifically relates to a person’s belief in their abilities and can vary from case to case. A person may have high self-esteem, but may not be confident in their abilities to play the guitar if they’ve never done it before. Having low confidence in things you haven’t done before definitely isn’t a problem by any means, the problem comes when people are not self-confident about most things.
A lack of confidence can result in people hesitating to do what they want to do and can result in much higher anxiety when trying new things, or interacting with others. Further information on how to increase your general confidence in anything you do can be found here. Having confidence in your own abilities is important, but of course, all things should come in moderation. Too much confidence can result in hubris or an inflated ego, so be wary of being too confident about things.
Self-respect
Self-respect is a part of self-esteem, but can not be ignored as its own separate area. Self-respect is belief is oneself as a person, and the appreciation of your own good points, and attributing good qualities to yourself. For example, you may think of yourself as ‘smart’ or ‘honest’, and these personal values would become part of your self-respect. At the heart of it, self-respect is the degree to which you love yourself for who you are and how you act to others.
Having an increased self-respect can significantly increase your self-esteem, but it is important to distinguish them. Your self-esteem is your self-evaluation as a person. However, self-respect is the acceptance of yourself, good point or bad points. Self-respect is the belief that you deserve good things, and deserve respect from others. It is a vital part of making people who they are and how they act. Without it, people are much more likely to become depressed, or have extremely low self-esteem.
Summary
All in all, keep in mind not to get these terms confused. All of these things are necessary for a person when going about their daily lives. Keeping a good self-esteem, being confident in your abilities, and understanding your own worth are supremely important, and if you ever feel like you’re lacking in one of these areas, there is a lot of information over the internet or among peers to help you improve.