The Single Biggest Reason People Struggle With Low Self-Esteem

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Low self-esteem is a big problem in our world. Itโ€™s estimated that 85% of people struggle with it. Why is that? You can google what causes low self-esteem and find articles with lists of varying reasons. However, most of these can be combined into one. This one single thing is the biggest reason people struggle with low self-esteem.

If the single biggest reason isย yourย reason, then dealing with it will help you end your struggle.

Big List Of Reasons People Have Low Self-Esteem

I donโ€™t claim this list of reasons is exhaustive. Itโ€™s a collection of what I found in my search from the varying lists for why people struggle with low self-esteem.

  1. Disapproving authority figures (parents, teachers, pastorsโ€ฆ)
  2. Inattentive, uninvolved, preoccupied caregivers
  3. Constant strife/fighting by parents or caregivers
  4. Bullying
  5. Belief systems from disapproving authority figures
  6. Verbal abuse
  7. Emotional abuse
  8. Sexual abuse
  9. Domestic abuse
  10. Childhood Trauma
  11. CEN
  12. Trauma
  13. Academic challenges without help or support
  14. Parenting style
  15. Fatherlessness
  16. Life experiences
  17. Comparison
  18. Discrimination
  19. Society/Media projecting unrealistic body image
  20. Harassment
  21. Humiliation
  22. Negative thought patterns
  23. Ongoing medical problem
  24. Financial trouble
  25. ACEs
  26. Divorced parents
  27. Guilt or shame over previous poor choice/mistake
  28. Spiritual attack
  29. Genes/temperament
  30. Mental illness

Thirty reasons are kind of a lot donโ€™t you think? Can you identify with any of them? What if I told you that only the last three on that list are exempt from the single biggest reason?

Related: What is Self-Esteem ?

The Big Umbrella Reason For Low Self-Esteem โ€“ Trauma

Every single one of the reasons numbered 1-27 either directly, or indirectly, share the same root. Some are obvious while others are hidden.ย The big umbrella that covers them all is called trauma.

Take a look at the list again with trauma in mind and see where you recognize, or fail to recognize the connection.

Do you dismiss any of them? Maybe the one you relate to? The ones that say trauma or abuse is easy to validate while the others are often dismissed or diminished.

Unhealed Trauma Can Look Like

Related: What is Self-Esteem And How To Raise It?

Deeper Look

Letโ€™s take a deeper look at the โ€œothersโ€ and find how trauma can be at the root of low self-esteem. More often than not, this root of trauma occurred during childhood.

1. Disapproving authority figures (parents, teachers, pastorsโ€ฆ).

There can be a varying degree of โ€œdisapprovalโ€ as well as the frequency of it. A single disapproving look or word may or may not cause trauma. But a child that is repetitively disapproved of takes it personally.

They internalize that theyโ€™re not good enough. More severe disapproval may come through demeaning words, name-calling, and such, which ends in the same result of removing the childโ€™s perception of value. Removal of a sense of inherent value is traumatic to the core.

2. Inattentive, uninvolved, preoccupied caregivers.

A caregiver can be a parent, teacher, doctor, nurse, etc. who by definition are supposed to beย giving care or attention to the child. When this care is missing it is emotional neglect causing the child to feel invisible and without value. Resulting in low self-esteem See the trauma?

3. Constant strife/fighting by parents or caregivers.

When a child is surrounded by strife by those who are entrusted with their care it removes their sense of safety. When a child loses a sense of safety they feel endangered and it triggers the fight/flight/freeze response. Living in a constant state of being triggered affects the nervous system by sending it into a persistent state of reactivity. This kind of trauma causes genetic changes to occur in the brain.

4. Bullying.

The degree of trauma this inflicts is subject to how secure a child is when it occurs, if they stand up for themselves or not, and if they get proper support from someone else. Ongoing bullying can have the same effect as listed in #3.

Read Kids and Bullying: 5 Things To Talk About

5. Belief systems from disapproving authority figures.

These are the result of the trauma explained above.

6. CENย (Childhood Emotional Neglect*).

I call this trauma โ€œthe invisible woundโ€ because so many people are unaware they have been injured in this way. This is caused by something that went missing that ought to have taken place.

7. Academic challenges without help or support.

Having academic challenges isnโ€™t traumatic all by itself. What causes the trauma is what comes next. Is the child belittled, ignored, or helped. The first two will cause trauma while the latter might avoid it.

8. Parenting style.

Abusive, inattentive, disapproving, emotionally unavailable parents traumatize their children resulting in low self-esteem.

Read 4 Types Of Parenting Styles In Psychology: What Kind Of A Parent Are You?

9. Fatherlessness.

This delivers a trauma that is oftentimes overlooked but can be avoided or lessened if another father figure steps in to support.

10. Life experiences.

Trauma is personal and there are so many things that can happen in life to a child, or adult that strips their sense of safety and value.

11. Comparison.

self-esteem

Insecurity is what causes comparison. Something negative happened to reduce a personโ€™s sense of value (trauma) for them to compare themselves to others and come up short.

Read How Smartphones and Social Comparison are Making Us Unhappy?

12. Discrimination.

Being selectively set aside screams that โ€œyou have no valueโ€. When this happens repetitively it buries that lack of value deep in the psyche.

13. Society/Media projecting unrealistic body image.

It works in a similar way as discrimination and comparison. Add in some parenting styles and/or bullying to see how deep this trauma goes.

14. Harassment.

Can be a form of blatant abuse, bullying, and/or discrimination.

Read How To Boost Your Self-Esteem Quickly: 12 Simple Tips

15. Humiliation.

There are so many ways this can take place. Without immediate follow-up of support, trauma will result.

16. Negative thought patterns.

Unless they stem from temperament or mental illness they have an origin in some form of trauma in this list.

17. Ongoing medical problem.

A medical problem in itself can be traumatic. But when a person feels bad about themselves for not being able to overcome it, they believe itโ€™s their fault. Belief systems are addressed above.

18. Financial trouble.

Financial trouble can happen for many reasons and sometimes is traumatic in and of itself. But when a person feels bad about themselves for it, their trauma root is in their belief system.

19. ACEsย (Adverse Childhood Experiences**).

Similar to CEN many people are unaware of ACEs and so fail to recognize, deal with, and overcome the trauma it causes.

20. Divorced parents.

Divorce, no matter how amicable, is traumatic. Oftentimes, if not every time, a child blames themselves. Subsequently, they diminish their own value and form a negative belief system.

Read How You Love Differently When Youโ€™re A Child of Divorced Parents

21. Guilt or shame over previous poor choice/mistake

When thinking about life. Always remember this!: no amount of anxiety can change the future

Self-condemnation is rooted in poor belief systems. The good news is that no matter where you find yourself on this list thereโ€™s hope. You can heal from trauma and build a healthy sense of self.

Please share this article with anyone who you may think will find it valuable and helpful. For what you can do about your traumaย click here


Written by: Danielle Bernock
Originally appeared on: Daniellebernock.com
Republished with permission
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