The great self-esteem con

Psychiatrist Anthony Daniels, writing as Theodore Dalrymple, on the "psychobabble" nonsense that is self-esteem:

When people speak of their low self-esteem, they imply two things: first, that it is a physiological fact, rather like low hemoglobin, and second, that they have a right to more of it. What they seek, if you like, is a transfusion of self-esteem, given (curiously enough) by others; and once they have it, the quality of their lives will improve as the night succeeds the day. For the record, I never had a patient who complained of having too much self-esteem, and who therefore asked for a reduction. Self-esteem, it appears, is like money or health: you can't have too much of it.

Everything Dalrymple writes is worth reading and this is article is no exception, so do yourself a favour and read the whole thing.