Side effects of high Self Esteem

[Determined]

I was wondering what some of the less obvious side effects of having very high self esteem would be?


Like for example, if someone hated working, would having higher self esteem make them enjoy work more because they are internally at peace and feel better about themselves then when they had low self esteem.

Pumping up one's self esteem still wouldn't change how they feel about their job. Self esteem is how one feels about their self. It might make them tolerate their job better because they have an emotional buffer to their perceived suffering but I don't think they'd enjoy their work more.

In Nathaniel Brandon's "6 pillars of self esteem" he outlines the difference between high self esteem and optimal self esteem.

In essence; high self esteem or too high self esteem can sometimes be detrimental to a person's well being (think of a narcissist). Conversely, optimal (or healthy self esteem) is fundamental to a person's well being.

Too high self esteem has unintended side effects. Beyond narcissism, in the same way you feel pain when you step on something sharp, acknowledging hurtful emotions is necessary for growth. Inflating one's own self esteem to nullify the pain of the world would be the same as taking a drug or drinking alcohol. Just because you don't feel it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

Same would apply to socialising. You could behave like a complete dick because you were riding a self esteem high and begin to lose empathy for people who have lower self esteem.