When I was younger, I believed that other people could raise or lower my self-esteem. Praise or a favorable book review made me feel like a worthwhile person, whereas criticism or an unfavorable...

When I was younger, I believed that other people could raise or lower my self-esteem. Praise or a favorable book review made me feel like a worthwhile person, whereas criticism or an unfavorable review suggested that there was something wrong with me. However, I now agree with Horney: self-esteem comes from within, and praise or criticism does not determine one’s worth as an individual. I still care about the opinions of other people, because I can learn from them, but I am usually able to prevent these opinions from manipulating my self-esteem. It isn’t easy to strike a balance between giving proper consideration to the opinions of others and taking these opinions too seriously, and I’m not always successful. But often I am—and it helps to keep Horney’s statement in mind.