Difference between "self-respect" and "self esteem"?

J

JBR

Well-known Member
Location
Southern Canada mtn. valley, tad west of Rockies
When I was growing into adulthood, I'd probably only heard the expression "self respect" with frequency, and I don't really remember people using "self esteem" much, if at all. Now I believe self esteem is used a great deal, and it's been that way for a few decades.

I queried Google for an accepted distinction for the expressions, and 'll quote what I got: "self-respect is a fundamental belief in one's own worth and moral integrity, while self-esteem is an evaluative and often performance-based judgment of one's abilities and value. Self-respect is more consistent and is not contingent on success, whereas self-esteem fluctuates based on achievements and how one is perceived by others"

As these were explained, each is a valid idea. For me they do have differences in connotation — maybe somewhat differing, though, what what Google offered. What do you think? Mean the same, or different?
 

seadoug said:
Great discussion point. I can only rely on my own lived experience. When I was younger, I had very low self-esteem that made me somewhat shy and withdrawn but I still had enough self-respect to pursue my education and move up in my career.
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I absolutely agree, that's what I was thinking as I read the OP>.. you've described it precisely....IMO
 

I have both, but when I was flying for United, some of my coworkers would tell me I was egotistic, I think they were jealous because I won awards for my flying and got moved up from first officer to Captain pretty quick. I took my flying very seriously and spent a lot of time in simulators testing different ways to get out of difficult circumstances. I never let what others thought of me concern me or allow them to be a distraction. I had plenty of friends that were good people and true friends.

I know that probably sounds self-serving, but it’s the truth.
 
JBR said:
When I was growing into adulthood, I'd probably only heard the expression "self respect" with frequency, and I don't really remember people using "self esteem" much, if at all. Now I believe self esteem is used a great deal, and it's been that way for a few decades.

I queried Google for an accepted distinction for the expressions, and 'll quote what I got: "self-respect is a fundamental belief in one's own worth and moral integrity, while self-esteem is an evaluative and often performance-based judgment of one's abilities and value. Self-respect is more consistent and is not contingent on success, whereas self-esteem fluctuates based on achievements and how one is perceived by others"

As these were explained, each is a valid idea. For me they do have differences in connotation — maybe somewhat differing, though, what what Google offered. What do you think? Mean the same, or different?
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An excellent explanation of the subtle differences between the two expressions.
 
Self-respect and self-esteem are related concepts of self-regard. Self-esteem is an overall positive opinion or evaluation of oneself based on abilities and achievements, while self-respect is a deeper sense of moral worth and dignity that involves honouring one's values, needs, and boundaries. You can think of self-esteem as being based on how you evaluate your performance, while self-respect is based on how you accept and honour yourself.
 
oldman said:
I have both, but when I was flying for United, some of my coworkers would tell me I was egotistic, I think they were jealous because I won awards for my flying and got moved up from first officer to Captain pretty quick. I took my flying very seriously and spent a lot of time in simulators testing different ways to get out of difficult circumstances. I never let what others thought of me concern me or allow them to be a distraction. I had plenty of friends that were good people and true friends.

I know that probably sounds self-serving, but it’s the truth.
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When I fly, I want a captain like you sitting in the cockpit. You took your job seriously and realized that you were holding many people‘s lives in your hands.
 
I read a lot of serious psychology and those terms are usually used interchangeably.
Mostly self-esteem is used. The definitions are okay but vary by the writer.
Also: self-evaluation, estimation of self. and self-worth--all synonyms.
 
Teacher Terry said:
When I fly, I want a captain like you sitting in the cockpit. You took your job seriously and realized that you were holding many people‘s lives in your hands.
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Thank you. People laugh when they tell me “Let’s have a good flight” as they are boarding the plane. I answer them by saying, “I want to live as bad as you do, so yes, this will be a good flight.”

Flying was my passion. I wanted to be the best there was. That sounds egotistic, I know. I flew for 33 years and never once had any incidents that required an NTSB investigation. Not too many pilots can say that.

Once I had an aileron that wasn’t working. It was very important that day to have both ailerons working 100%. We were landing in Boston with strong winds coming in off the Atlantic. Ailerons keep the plane straight and on the centerline while landing. I announced to my passengers that this landing may be a little rocky, but please don’t panic. We will get down safe. And, we did with no passengers that screamed. To me, that was a sign of trust.
 

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