Rebuttal of "The Trouble with Self-Esteem"

            The likes of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett epitomize the upper class of society. It would only be obvious for them to have high self-esteems. At a young age, both were confident and lifted their heads high. They had goals for the future, and now they relish the luxurious lifestyle. Some may think of them cocky, but they have found a balance in their self-esteem by donating millions to charity. If they had low self-esteems, both would probably not reach the level they are at today. A high self-esteem is necessary for one to have a good future and actually fulfill the pursuit of happiness, not something that makes you not work harder or posing a greater threat to those around us as Lauren Slater proposes in “The Trouble with Self-Esteem”.

            Having a high self-esteem allows one to have goals. We look at ourselves highly, and are able to see that inner worth hidden inside of us. If we held ourselves at a low level, we would be a society where no one could be successful. We would all look down on ourselves individually and as a society. Elmer states, “people with low self-esteem seem to do just as well as people with high self-esteem. In fact, they may do better, because they often try harder” (808) Of course those with low self-esteem are working harder. They want to feel satisfied with themselves, not feel they are no good at all, feel they have a number of good qualities, do things as well as other people, be proud of themselves, not feel useless at times, feel they are a person of worth, have more respect for themselves, not feel like a failure, and take a positive attitude toward themselves. All these actions would be the answers of someone with a high-self esteem on the self-esteem assessment created by Morris Rosenberg. People with low-self esteem want a high-self esteem knowing its benefits. They do not care about paying for programs or going to therapists to find this high self-esteem.

            Slater states that it is all a business with self-esteem. These therapists work to make money by telling those seeking high-self esteem to accept what they have and to move on. She states, “Really, who would come to treatment to be taken down a notch? How would we get our clients to pay to be… uncomfortably challenged?” (811). The answer to these questions is those who have low self-esteem. They want to grow highly of themselves, and one way to do this is to take a step back and then move forward. They have to accept what is going on now in order to know what they have to do to change.

            High self-esteem does play a major role in being successful. The way those with low self-esteem act today is because they are just agitated at the fact that they are heading towards disaster. That is why many seek help. They only want to find high-self esteem. It helps people grow goals and become the likes of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.