Home / Mental health / Self-esteem
Mental health
Self-esteem
What self-esteem is, how low, healthy and fragile self-esteem differ, how it links with mental health, what the Rosenberg scale measures, and what helps.
Self-esteem is how you value yourself overall. It is your general sense of whether you are a person of worth, apart from any one skill or role.1,4 Healthy self-esteem helps you bounce back when things go wrong. Low self-esteem tints your view of yourself, and of your life, with negativity.1
Everyone doubts themselves at times.4 For some people, a low opinion of themselves sticks and colors much of life. Low self-esteem is not a diagnosis, and it is not a flaw in your character. It is a way of seeing yourself that was learned over time, and it can change. The goal is not to think you are better than other people. The goal is a steady, realistic and kind view of yourself. This page gives you the big picture and points you to our detailed pages.
Key points
- Self-esteem is your overall opinion of your own worth. It shifts across a lifetime and can change with practice.1,5
- Low self-esteem is not a diagnosis, but it often comes with depression, anxiety or eating problems. It can also raise the risk of them later.4,10
- In long-term studies, low self-esteem predicted later depression about twice as strongly as depression predicted later low self-esteem.7
- Healthy self-esteem is not arrogance. Feeling superior to others (narcissism) is a different thing, with different roots.9
- CBT for low self-esteem and self-compassion training have both shown benefits in studies, though more good trials are needed.10,12
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself as a person.4 Researchers often call this "global" self-esteem. It is a broad sense of worth, not confidence in one area, such as cooking or driving.
Self-esteem is fairly stable, but it is not fixed. Stress, hard life events, illness and grief can lower it.1 It also changes across a lifetime. A large review pulled together long-term studies of more than 160,000 people, ages 4 to 94. On average, self-esteem grew in childhood, held steady in the early teen years, and rose through adulthood. It peaked between about age 60 and 70, then dipped slowly in old age.5 See Self-esteem in later life.
Low, healthy and fragile self-esteem
Self-esteem is not just "high" or "low." How steady it is, and what it rests on, matter too.
| Type | What it can look like |
|---|---|
| Low | A mostly negative view of yourself. Harsh self-criticism, brushing off praise, avoiding challenges, working hard to please others.4 |
| Healthy | A realistic and mostly positive view. You can admit mistakes without deciding you are worthless, and you can cope when things go wrong.1 |
| Fragile | Self-worth that depends on success, looks or other people's approval. It can feel high on good days, but setbacks hit hard, and it needs constant proof.8 |
| Inflated (narcissism) | Feeling superior to others and entitled to special treatment. Research shows it grows from different roots than healthy self-esteem.9 |
In a study of 565 children followed for 18 months, warm parenting predicted healthy self-esteem. Parents who overvalued their child, seeing the child as more special than others, predicted narcissism instead.9 Warmth, not inflated praise, seems to feed a healthy sense of worth. See Signs of low self-esteem and What shapes self-esteem.
How common is low self-esteem?
No one has an exact count. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, which many studies use, has no official cut-off score for "low" self-esteem.3 So studies describe patterns rather than a single percentage.
- Age. On average, self-esteem is lower in the teens and early 20s than in midlife and the 60s.5
- Gender. One survey included more than 985,000 people ages 16 to 45 in 48 countries. Men reported higher self-esteem than women at every age. The gap was larger in wealthier, more individualistic countries.6
- Hard times. Serious illness, bereavement, ongoing stress and struggling to meet expectations can all lower self-esteem.1
Self-esteem and mental health
Low self-esteem is a feature of several mental health conditions.10 Feeling worthless or guilty is one of the symptoms of depression.11 When low self-esteem comes from depression, treating the depression often helps self-esteem recover.4 Low self-esteem can also be a risk factor. It can make depression, anxiety, eating disorders or suicidal thoughts more likely later on, even when you feel fine now.4
A review of 77 long-term studies tested which tends to come first. Low self-esteem predicted later depression about twice as strongly as the other way around. For anxiety, the effects in each direction were about equal.7 These effects were small, and many other things shape mood too. Read more in Self-esteem and mental health.
What MindCheck looks at
Our free WhySigh MindCheck looks at self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Sociologist Morris Rosenberg first published it in 1965. He tested it with more than 5,000 high school juniors and seniors in New York State. It is in the public domain.2
The scale has 10 statements about how you feel about yourself in general. For example, are you satisfied with yourself? Do you feel you have good qualities? You rate how much you agree with each one. Half are worded in a positive way and half in a negative way. Scores run from 0 to 30, and higher scores mean higher self-esteem.2 Because there are no official cut-off points, a score is a rough picture, not a verdict.3
You can also take the scale on its own with our self-esteem test, and see how kind you are to yourself with the self-compassion test. A questionnaire like this cannot diagnose anything. It can help you notice a pattern and track change over time.
What helps
The badges show how strong the research is (see how we rate evidence).
CBT for low self-esteem
Moderate evidenceCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you spot harsh beliefs about yourself and test them against the facts. A 2018 review looked at 7 studies with 821 people. After weekly sessions, often 8 to 10 of them, self-esteem rose a lot and depression eased. Only 3 of the studies were randomized trials, so more research is needed.10 See Therapy for low self-esteem.
Self-compassion
Moderate evidenceTreating yourself with the kindness you would give a friend. In 27 trials, self-compassion programs eased depression, anxiety, stress and self-criticism by moderate amounts.12 See Self-compassion.
Everyday steps
Limited researchNoticing what you are good at, being kind to yourself, learning to say no, setting small goals and spending time with supportive people.1 See Building self-esteem.
Treating depression or anxiety
Strong evidenceMost people with depression benefit from treatment.11 When low self-esteem is part of depression, treating the depression often lifts self-esteem too.4
All self-esteem pages
- Signs of low self-esteem
- What shapes self-esteem
- Self-esteem and mental health
- Self-compassion
- Building self-esteem
- Therapy for low self-esteem
- Self-esteem in later life
Related: Depression, Social anxiety, Eating disorders, Emotion regulation, Personality, Childhood adversity, Wellbeing and CBT week 5: core beliefs.
Explore self-esteem
Signs
How low self-esteem shows up in thoughts, feelings, actions and relationships, signs of fragile self-worth, later-life signs, and when to get help.
Read →Causes
How self-esteem develops: early experiences, bullying, trauma, discrimination, life events, health, social media, and the core beliefs CBT works on.
Read →Mental health
How low self-esteem links with depression, anxiety, eating disorders and alcohol, why boosting it alone falls short, and how it differs from narcissism.
Read →Self-compassion
What self-compassion is, its three parts, how it differs from self-esteem, what research shows, common myths, and a short practice you can try today.
Read →Building self-esteem
Self-help steps for low self-esteem, with evidence ratings: noticing self-talk, thought records, a positive data log, values, goals, boundaries and more.
Read →Treatment
How therapy helps low self-esteem: CBT based on Fennell's model, group programs, compassion-focused therapy, ACT, what to expect and how to find help.
Read →Later life
How self-esteem changes with age, why it may dip in old age, how retirement, health, ageism and caregiving affect it, and what keeps self-worth steady.
Read →When to get help
Talk with a doctor, counselor or therapist if:
- Low self-esteem gets in the way of work, relationships or daily life
- You feel worthless, guilty or hopeless most days for two weeks or more11
- You avoid people or activities because you fear being judged
- You restrict food, binge, or drink alcohol to cope
- You stay in a relationship where you are put down or hurt
On average, self-esteem holds up well into the 60s.5 A sudden drop at any age is worth talking about, because low self-esteem can be a sign of depression.4
If you have thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself, call or text 988 any time, day or night. If you are in danger right now, call 911.11 See Get help now.
Sources
- National Health Service (NHS). Raising low self-esteem. NHS, reviewed 2023. NHS
- Department of Sociology, University of Maryland. Using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. University of Maryland. UMD
- Department of Sociology, University of Maryland. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: frequently asked questions. University of Maryland. UMD
- Lim L, Saulsman L, Nathan P. Improving self-esteem, module 1: what is low self-esteem? Centre for Clinical Interventions, Department of Health, Western Australia, 2005. CCI
- Orth U, Erol RY, Luciano EC. Development of self-esteem from age 4 to 94 years: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychol Bull, 2018. University of Bern
- American Psychological Association. Self-esteem gender gap appears worldwide (Bleidorn W, et al., J Pers Soc Psychol). APA press release, 2016. APA
- Sowislo JF, Orth U. Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychol Bull, 2013. University of Bern
- Crocker J, Park LE. The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychol Bull, 2004. University at Buffalo
- Brummelman E, et al. Origins of narcissism in children. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015. University of Southampton
- Kolubinski DC, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of CBT interventions based on the Fennell model of low self-esteem. Psychiatry Res, 2018. Kingston University
- National Institute of Mental Health. Depression (NIH Publication No. 24-MH-8079). NIMH, 2024. NIMH
- Ferrari M, et al. Self-compassion interventions and psychosocial outcomes: a meta-analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness, 2019. ACU Research Bank
Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.