Why do some youths have negative feelings about themselves ?

Question

Why must you be careful not to think too higly of yourself ?

Answer 1

This is a pretty complex question, there can be many reasons people have negative feelings of themselves. Frued would say it's often from childhood trauma's that they were too young to cope with and it manifests itself in low self esteem and distrust of peers or people in general. Trauma's like abuse of any kind from a parent or trusted adult or sometimes bullying by the child's peers.

There is also the media, like others have said, that put out signals that someone who does not look like or have the same amount of success as a celebrity is a failure.

You don't have to be careful to think highly of yourself, the problem is you have to know when you're overcompensating for insecurity by acting confident and when it is healthy self esteem. Overcompensation or arrogance is when you think your talents are much better than everyone elses. A healthy sense of self worth, stems from self awareness and self esteem. You feel like you have talents and will try to be the best you can be, but you don't look at others and try to cut them down to bring you up in comparison. You can see as much good in others as you can see in yourself. You just have to be able to see the difference between arrogance and confidence.

Answer 2

I don't think it's too healthy to constantly think you're perfect and right 100% of the time, cos let's face it, you won't be! It's OK to quite like yourself tho!

But on the other hand, I used to be REALLY negative about myself and it was mainly because I felt like I didn't fit in, nobody understood me, I wasn't going anywhere, I was ugly, I didn't have a boyfriend etc etc

Then I realised that I was made the way I am by God and he accepts me the way I am. And I realised that the way I am is OK and I actually quite like myself now :)

And I realise that I do actually fit in and people do understand me and I am going somewhere and I'm not ugly and while I still don't have a boyfriend that's OK, because I don't really want one right this minute.

So that's why :)

Answer 3

There is a giant industry set up that is marketing to kids - making them want to be like TV stars, wanting to get them to buy things one after another. But the reality is that no one gets everything they want, nor is everyone living the great life that they suggest, but feelings of unfairness persist. So a lot of the negative feelings come from Corporate Greed.  

Answer 4

My thought on why some youths have negative feelings about themselves comes from experience (both myself and husband).

If you are teased when younger, it tends to stay with you throughout your school years....If you are picked on at home by siblings, you can't really get away from it because sometimes the parents don't do anything about or say it's just in fun, don't take it seriously.  Now, there are cases where parents are the ones who are doing the damage and then you really can't escape it.  Even worse is the situation both my husband and myself experienced growing up... you get picked on at school only to come home to more of it from the people in your home.

So you have everybody picking on you, no way to escape it and eventually you start believing what everybody is saying...and now you have negative feelings about yourself.  Perhaps at this point you start putting yourself down, or even doing harm to yourself.  It's not something you can escape from and you need to find a way to get out of that place that's so dark/negative but nobody can help because you can't go to somebody in your household because they're picking on you and if students see you going to a councelor at school they pick on you more about that.  Perhaps you eventually get out of it and change your life around and become positive and learn to love yourself, but that's not always the case.  Some of us just deal with it and hope we can still get through life and find somebody who will love us despite us being "this" or "that" (whatever negative thing we tell ourselves at that particular point in time)...

Then there are those who think highly of themselves, perhaps this is the bully or just somebody who is naturally good at things...It goes to their head and they start thinking they're better than others...getting a little ego isn't bad but when that little ego becomes a big one, you have to be careful.  Being too proud of yourself and "high and mighty" can be just as damaging as not being aware of your true potential.  People don't want to be around somebody who always says "I'm better than you" or whatever they say at that time.  Nobody wants to feel as though their friend is comparing them.

People need balance in life, it's the only way to find happiness...You need a mix of positive and negative things to happen in life... not always the negative or always the positive.  Movie stars are a good example of the positive...things always go their way, they think they're on top of the world, invincible even...then they try something, perhaps drugs, and bam, they wind up dead and everybody sits there and wonders what went wrong.

Nothing in life is easy, there is no perfect life and nothing is perfect...Life is what we perceive it to be...if we're always being put down we will perceive life as being something difficult and bad and if we're handed things on a silver platter (so to speak) then you will perceive life as something that is a dream come true because in your head nothing can go wrong.

Even the most perfect rose has flaws and people need to see that no matter who they are, what they have been given in life, there will always be a flaw in them...Humans are not perfect, nothing is.  Live with what you have been given and make the best of it.  If there's something in life you want, go after it, but only if it will make you happy and it doesn't hurt somebody else.  You can't live your life to make somebody else happy as that will only hurt you more in the long run.  Find your balance and discover what you can achieve, then you'll find your happiness.

Answer 5

Because we need balance in life. Too much of anything is poisonous.

A lot of youths have negative feelings because they judge themselves (looks, charisma, achievements) based on what they see on the media. Think about it, growing up they are bombarded with all these children shows that show other kids shopping and having fun with no inhibitions, sorrounded by a lot of friends and running their own worlds. So if as a child they dont have any of that, they feel that they dont measure up. If the parents dont step in to tell the kids they are worthy then their already shaky self esteem plummets.

Then as teenegars they want to live like the teens they see  on the Beverly Hill show or even Gossip girl, yet we know such a life is only possible in the movies and in Hollywood. Us "common folks" have to struggle to make ends meet. Their parents cannot cater for their needs. Puberty also doesnt help since thats the stage people try to find and define themselves.

On the other hand, those who think too highly of themselves come off as arrogant. They have superiority complex so they think they are better than most. This will hinder their ability to make genuine friends or even learn new things in life.