Branden helps us develop our understanding of self-esteem by describing the “six pillars” which he believes act as the foundation to gaining an understanding. The pillars include:
- The Practice of Living Consciously
- The Practice of Self-Acceptance
- The Practice of Self-Responsibility
- The Practice of Self-Assertiveness
- The Practice of Living Purposefully
- The Practice of Personal Integrity
I decided to research what each of the pillars stood for in the hope of improving my own knowledge.
1. By living consciously we show an openness to learn about the world and ourselves. It gives us the opportunity to develop as a person as we seek information and feedback on the way we perform and behave. To live consciously a person should also show respect towards facts and the truths of life.
2. Self-Acceptance in my opinion is being able to think freely and not being scared to express yourself through thoughts and feelings. I also believe that self-acceptance allows a person to understand that they are an individual and takes them away from the notion of comparison with others.
3. The practice of self-responsibility can be defined as accepting that we are responsible for our own actions and behaviour. It is up to an individual to set themselves goals and to achieve them. We cannot blame others for our failures and must come to a solution as to solving our own problems.
4. The practice of self-assertiveness. I believe this to be our willingness to stand up for what we believe in. It could also be seen to be respecting our beliefs and opinions and not changing them in the fear of disapproval.
5. Living Purposefully implies that it is our duty to set ourselves long-term ad short-term goals and to recognise the actions needed to attain them. Goals should be monitored and reflected upon to allow us to improve as individuals. Setting goals also allows a person to feel good about themselves when they feel like it has been achieved.
6. The practice of personal integrity means that as individuals we must value honesty. It is our responsibility to tell the truth and to honour our personal commitments.
