Self-esteem: The kindly apocalypse

Smith, R.D.

Abstract

Self-esteem has become an educational shibboleth. But over-valuing it brings dangers, particularly of dishonesty, manipulation and devaluation of human relationships. Yet there is clearly something here we want to save: a gentler culture with wider possibilities of self-fulfilment. Here I try to distinguish three levels of self-esteem talk. There is the exaltation of self-esteem as the chief aim of education, the therapeutic approach to education and the recognition of self-esteem as one educational value among many. It is the latter, I argue, that can preserve the benefits of the idea of self-esteem while avoiding the worst of its pitfalls.

Citation

Smith, R. (2002). Self-esteem: The kindly apocalypse. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 36(1), 87-100. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.00261

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2002-02
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2008
• Journal: Journal of Philosophy of Education
• Print ISSN: 0309-8249
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9752
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 87-100
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.00261
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1624116