Haven't finished the article yet, but I already see several red flags as to where they got things wrong:
1. Self-esteem is a byproduct of self-compassion, not external awards or compliments. External stuff produces other-esteem and yeah, it's the root of narcissism
2. They tried to produce self-esteem through removing any chance of suffering. Teaching people how to respond to suffering would've been much more productive.
3. Describing someone to themselves can be unintentionally harmful when judgment or comparison is used, whether it be positive or negative. This article shows how positive judgments (ie. compliments/praise) can be harmful.
If anyone's interested in a functional alternative, I highly recommend the book "Nonviolent Communication."
1. Self-esteem is a byproduct of self-compassion, not external awards or compliments. External stuff produces other-esteem and yeah, it's the root of narcissism
2. They tried to produce self-esteem through removing any chance of suffering. Teaching people how to respond to suffering would've been much more productive.
3. Describing someone to themselves can be unintentionally harmful when judgment or comparison is used, whether it be positive or negative. This article shows how positive judgments (ie. compliments/praise) can be harmful.
If anyone's interested in a functional alternative, I highly recommend the book "Nonviolent Communication."