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by jseliger 3529 days ago
We actually want more self-efficacy: http://seliger.com/2008/05/01/self-efficacy%E2%80%94oops-the... rather than self-esteem. Which is a topic that's been bandied about in the media for a while yet hasn't really taken hold.
2 comments

I really like the idea of this concept, as it helps guide people to understand what's important to them. Having a grounding sense of goals, principles, and boundaries enables people to cultivate a productive self-worth that can be very powerful.

I feel like a lot of Hacker News readers can probably relate to this, as I've sensed a lot of self-directed joy has come from their time spent learning and using computers.

Looking back, other people's people evaluating/encouraging/criticising my math skills, swimming abilities, or self-esteem has done much worse for me than individually realising what's important to myself and wanting to work towards that. I really hope that we culturally have a change in attitude towards these things.

Your dad might have an em dash addiction.