The self-esteem movement gets an "F"

Illustration by C.S. McGuinness

Sometimes, there is great wisdom to be found on the comics pages. 

In a recent cartoon by Norm Feuiti, the eponymous young character Gil observes his collection of honors: a running trophy proclaiming “finisher,” a ribbon exclaiming “19^th place”, a bowling trophy triumphing a “72 average”, and an award recognizing “participant.”  Gil wryly observes, “I know they’re supposed to make me feel good, but really they just remind me of the things I’m not very good at.”

Garry Trudeau, in his well known strip “Doonesbury”, has young, spoiled character Jeff Redfern relocating his trophy collection to his new home.  Jeff observes, “It was so interesting growing up in the middle of the self-esteem movement.”  His dad, Rick, reads out the plaque on one of the trophies, “Most improved trier, second grade.”  Jeff recalls the moment and observes, “I tied with the rest of the class.”

So what’s the problem with the self-esteem movement and why is it dying?  Apparently, the results are in.  Instilled self-esteem, as opposed to earned, just doesn’t work.

Late last year, USA Today ran an article titled “Is narcissism killing innovation in America?” (December 21, 2011). The premise was that the self-esteem movement, by praising aimlessly, was suppressing incentive and achievement.  Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman stated “By any reasonable standard, the change in how America lived between 1918 and 1957 was immensely greater than the change between 1957 and the present”.  While many factors have influenced this outcome, the self-esteem movement, which was quick to laud and loathe to criticize, seems complicit.

The article continues, “Essentially, when children are praised readily and frequently, regardless of their efforts' outcomes, there is no incentive for them to strive for genuine excellence — or even recognize that it can exist.”

Let’s start with a definition.  What is self esteem?  Very simply, it is a sense of well being, of self confidence and contentment, that arises from competence.  This means that when you are very good at something, you feel relaxed and comfortable in your skin.  Self esteem is a good thing.  But here’s where the self esteem movement went awry. Because you must be very good at something to have high self esteem, it cannot be gifted.  It must be earned.

While teachers and parents love and greatly care for their charges and offspring, they cannot instill self-esteem by bestowing inane awards.  The child, him or herself, must actually become good at something in order to develop a sense of self esteem.  In fact, the teacher or parent who attempts to shortcut this process is harming the child. The child must strive, and fail, and learn; then strive and fail, and succeed.  If you protect her from failing, she cannot succeed.

Self esteem is situational.  If you are not a skilled brain surgeon, you would feel uncomfortable (lack self-esteem) if forced into that role.  Likewise, the brain surgeon would be very uneasy asked to rebuild an automatic transmission or erect a skyscraper.  We are all good at certain things and not so much at others.  As Will Rogers famously said, “We are all ignorant, only on different subjects.”

So what is the path to happiness and a fulfilling life?  I think it is a clear choice.  Young people must find those which are their innate talents, which come naturally and are fulfilling.  Then practice and learn and become expert in those skills.  Finally, find a vocation that requires those strengths.

To work at some profession only for the social status that it conveys, or the wages that it pays, is empty and hollow if you doubt yourself every day. It is far more fulfilling to perform a labor of love, to exercise your strengths and feel the power of self-confidence.

Find out what you are good at, develop those skills, and make them your life’s work.  You will be happier, your loved ones will find you more pleasant, and the economy will benefit.  Where’s the downside?

Waves of change

Railroad trestle in Spartansburg, PA

The first wave of prosperity to lift New Bedford, Massachusetts, was whaling and related nautical industries.  Through most of the nineteenth century, we lit our homes, streets, and factories with whale oil lamps.  Fortunes were made and New Bedford flourished.  Then, an innocuous event occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania just south of the small town of Titusville.   In the summer of 1859, Col. Edwin Drake drilled the country’s first commercially viable oil well, sealing the fate of the whaling industry.  A spur railway was quickly built from the nearest railhead in Corry, through the Amish village of Spartansburg, and on to Titusville.  Soon, tanker cars steamed eastward carrying petroleum to be processed at former whale oil refineries, at much less cost, risk, and greater profits.  Consumers and the country benefited, but the world’s whaling ports began to wither. 

New Bedford faltered, actually losing population according to the 1870 census, but quickly recovered on a new wave of textile manufacturing.  By the 1880s, the city was growing again, buoyed by robust, expanding textile manufacturing.  It was no secret, however, that former able bodied seamen and harpooners were not necessarily the best loom operators.  A new set of skills was required to become gainfully employed. 

Then, another wave.  By the 1940s, textile manufacturing moved to the southern United States where wages were lower and business burdens lighter.  New Bedford again faltered, but quickly rebounded on the wartime demand for manufacturing.  Tool and die operations sustained the city through the post war years but began to ebb in the 1970s as these products were increasingly supplied by Japan and other countries.

Today, New Bedford’s unemployment rate averages about 10%.  Still a robust fishing port, the employment offered by this industry cannot support the city’s population.  Health care and some limited manufacturing round out the employers, but many of the city’s workers lack the skills for these jobs.

What are the points that may be gleaned from this?  There are several.  First, it seems that waves of change are inevitable, and government can be of little help in assisting us.  We could subsidize whalers, and loom operators, and buggy whip assemblers, but to what effect?  The best that we can do for ourselves, and that government can do for us, is to provide training and skills enhancement.  In our increasingly knowledge-based economy, it is important to be agile, adaptable, and engaged in order to be employable.

Far be it from me to be an expert, but long observation gives me a few suggestions on how to achieve this goal of maximizing employability in an ever-changing economy:

• Be literate in spoken and written English.  While it may be comforting to press 2 for Spanish, that will not help your employability.
• Likewise, be literate with basic mathematics.  Math has to do with logic and reasoning, and will serve you well in many fields.
• Become comfortable with computers and the Internet.  They are the fabric of our information economy. 

How to accomplish these goals?  First, use your local public library.  In addition to supplying books and periodicals, they also provide computers, internet access, and often classes in English proficiency.  Many local high schools offer adult continuing education classes ranging from Photoshop to woodworking to welding.  Potential employers want to see that you have solid, basic skills and are capable of learning new ones.  This is what sets you apart from the permanent minimum wage crowd, who may well be comfortable where they are (which is largely unemployable). 

Titusville, Pennsylvania, suffered the same fate as New Bedford.  Multiple waves of change have washed over her, and her citizens are dumfounded.  Even the few manufacturing jobs that remain require the ability to operate sophisticated CNC milling machines.  The only cure is to rise to your potential, to learn basic English, mathematical, and computer skills, and to mentor those who are struggling.  We are all in this together.