Ego Defense Mechanism: Difference between revisions

[[Self Esteem]] formally is "the disposition to experience oneself as competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and as worthy of happiness", and while others (parents, teachers, friends) can nurture and support self-esteem in an individual, self-esteem relies upon various internally generated practices. To be responsible to take care of oneself is one way of building self esteem. In Nathan Branden's framework, there are six "pillars" of generating and building self-esteem:* Living consciously: the practice of being aware of what one is doing while one is doing it, i.e., the practice of mindfulness.* Self-acceptance: the practice of owning truths regarding one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; of being kind toward oneself with respect to them; and of being "for" oneself in a basic sense.* Self-responsibility: the practice of owning one's authorship of one's actions and of owning one's capacity to be the cause of the effects one desires.* Self-assertiveness: the practice of treating one's needs and interests with respect and of expressing them in appropriate ways.* Living purposefully: the practice of formulating goals and of formulating and implementing action plans to achieve them.* Personal integrity: the practice of maintaining alignment between one’s behaviors and convictions.Branden distinguishes his approach to self-esteem from that of many others by his inclusion of both confidence and worth in his definition of self-esteem, and by his emphasis on the importance of internally generated practices for the improvement and maintenance of self-esteem in every day life. <ref>[http://www.energeticsynthesis.com/index.php/resource-tools/ascension-tools/building-self-esteem Building Self Esteem]</ref>