What’s the Difference Between Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence?
Self-confidence and self-esteem are often used interchangeably, but they refer to two different meanings that shape your view of yourself and how people interact with it. Both are very important for building mental well-being, relationships, and personal growth in life. However, most important is the correct understanding of which is self-confidence and which is self-esteem to shape a healthy identity.
This blog, therefore, is an exploration of what self-confidence and self-esteem are, their main differences, their effects on life, plus how to develop and maintain both.
What Is Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is the overall value and worth you assign to yourself. It's a reflection of how you feel about who you are as a person—your intrinsic qualities, character, and sense of identity.
- Definition: Self-esteem is the feeling of worthiness inside you, built through experiences, upbringing, relationships, and personal beliefs.
- Characteristics: Healthy people respect themselves, not based on what others think about them. They do not easily feel inferior or superior to other people.
Signs of Healthy Self-Esteem:
- Self-acceptance of all strengths and weaknesses.
- Feeling worthy of happiness and success.
- Stronger when facing adversities.
Low Self-Esteem:
A person who usually has low self-esteem is someone who considers himself or herself inferior, quite doubtful of his or her capabilities, and has a lot of fear of rejection, for example. All this provides a lot of mayhem in a person's mental status, and, therefore, ensuing ripples also affect relationships and career opportunities.
What is self-confidence?
Self-confidence is the conviction that a person entertains regarding his own abilities and skills, as far as he is concerned with tasks and achievements. This idea could refer to particular aspects in different areas of life, such as public speaking, academic and extracurricular achievements, or even sports.
Signs of Healthy Self-Confidence:
- Willingness to try something new or pick up an adventure.
- Ability to express opinions and stand up for oneself.
- Flexibility and learning from misgivings.
Low Confidence:
Low self-esteem makes a person very fearful about failure, avoids risks, and always keeps seeking people for support or reassurance.
Key Difference Between Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
Self-esteem and self-confidence share some features, but they are both different. Let's get acquainted with the difference between self-esteem and self-confidence.
Aspect
Self-Esteem
Self-Confidence
Definition
Your sense of self-worth and value as a person.
Your belief in your ability to perform tasks.
Focus
How you feel about yourself.
How capable you feel in specific situations.
Dependency
Intrinsic and less dependent on external factors.
Often tied to external success or failures.
Impact of Failure
Failure may not significantly affect self-esteem.
Failure can temporarily lower confidence.
Example
Feeling worthy of love and respect.
Believing you can give a great presentation.
These distinctions would prove useful to solve particular problems, rebuilding the confidence that is shaken by failure or boosting self-esteem for overall well-being.
What is the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence?
The concepts of self-esteem vs. self-confidence are related. However, both are not the same. A person with high self-esteem generally feels confident in different areas of life, but a person can show high self-confidence in specific skills without having self-esteem in other aspects.
For example, one person may perform excellently in their workplace and have confidence regarding their job but may not feel worthy to be loved or to love when it comes to personal relationships. Therefore, be it self-esteem or confidence, one must cultivate both in order to achieve well-rounded mental wellness.
Impact of Their Relationship:
- High self-esteem + high confidence: Develops into a well-rounded, proactive, resilient human being.
- Low Self-Esteem + High Confidence: This may lead to overcompensation or resorting to greatness in an accomplishment to get love.
- High Self-Esteem + Low Confidence: This is a person who can love themselves to the moon and back but would never dare risk anything or even trust himself/herself at times.
- Low Self-Esteem + Low Confidence: This is the worst combination as it leads to chronic anxiety, depression, and avoidance behaviour.
Difference Between Low Self-Esteem and Low Confidence
They are very frequently misconceived by people, and in reality, they are two different things expressed differently.
- Low Self-Esteem:
Low self-esteem is considering oneself unworthy, inadequate, or unloved. It is a deep-rooted feeling given to thinking about oneself this way. - Example: Not entering into relationships for fear of rejection.
- Low Confidence:
While low self-confidence is situation-specific and task- or skill-specific, it is due to fear of failure or lack of preparedness. - Example: Avoid public speaking due to the fear of getting embarrassed.
Knowing the difference between low self-esteem and low confidence will tackle the basic cause that one encounters in personal hitches.
How to Build Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
Building Self-Esteem:
1. Practice self-compassion: Instead of self-criticism, give yourself self-kindness, especially in times of adversity.
2. Set Realistic Goals: Celebrate small achievements to raise self-esteem.
3. Avoid Comparison: Instead of doing better than others, accentuate your growth.
4. Surround Yourself with Positivity: Spend time with those who uplift and motivate you.
Building Self-Confidence:
1. Prepare and Practice: Being completely prepared and practicing on something leads to more valuable experience, which in turn lends itself to confidence.
2. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Gradually challenge yourself to try new things.
3. Citing Strengths: Bring up past successes to remind yourself of your abilities.
4. Learn from Failures: Use setbacks to discover and learn as opposed to quitting.
Self-esteem and self-confidence are twins that will grow when nurtured over time with awareness and a positive attitude.
Case Study: The Impact of Balancing Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
Take, for instance, Priya, a marketing professional who, at 30, had excelled at doing her job. On almost every measure, she seemed confident; however, she was too low on self-esteem when it came time to put close relationships into practice.
With therapy, Priya was helped to dissociate her self-esteem from professional achievements and learn self-acceptance, enabling her to build more self-esteem, leading to more confidence in developing personal relationships that cumulatively established a balanced and fulfilling life.
Conclusion: Why Choose Jagruti Rehab for Mental Wellness?
Jagruti Rehab offers mental well-being care and counselling on how it could be important in leading an active life. It may be a self-esteem issue, a lack of confidence, or many other burdens that all staff would help the individuals in dealing with and regaining or developing the same. Get guidance and assistance on how you can best deal with addiction, mental illness, and personal development at Jagruti Rehab. Begin your journey towards a healthier and more vibrant life and get in touch with us today!
Frequently asked questions
Self-esteem refers to the belief one has about his worth. Self-confidence, on the other hand, is that belief in one’s ability to be able to do something or accomplish certain things. Inherent is self-esteem, while in most cases one needs external proof for self-confidence.
Yes. One can be confident in one’s skills even while having very low self-esteem. For example, a person might be incredibly successful in his career but feel unworthy as a person.
Healthy self-esteem and self-confidence lead to resilience, motivation, and emotional stability. However, a low level of either can easily lead to anxiety, depression and ultimately reduced quality of life.
Be self-compassionate, decide on realistic goals, accept failed attempts as a learning experience, and be surrounded by positive influences.
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Jagruti Rehabilitation Centre is a leading facility specializing in mental health, dementia, and addiction recovery. The team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and caregivers is committed to empowering individuals on their journey to recovery.
