John Rosemond on Self-esteem

Parenting expert John Rosemond is an author, speaker, and columnist who takes a counter-cultural and common-sense approach to parenting. You can find Rosemond's work at his website.

On the Matt Friedeman Show, Rosemond talked about the fallacy of the self-esteem movement.  

You don't like the self esteem movement.

I don't like the self-esteem movement.

The research indicates that high self-esteem is linked with low respect of others.

Then, from the biblical perspective, there is nowhere we can justify that thinking of ourselves highly is a worthy pursuit.

So this is not just a new Testament concept as well.

We need especially in the Christian community to understand that this high self-esteem movement got it's start in the 1960's.

Who started it?

The serpent started it.

I don't believe in psychology....I do believe that many of the messages that come out of psychology...are the will of the serpent.

We entered the 1960's one American and we exited the 1960's another America.

All of this has failed. One of the interesting exercises I do before my audiences is I ask, "how many of you think high self-esteem is important for children to have?"

Then I ask, "Would you rather live next door to a person who has high self-esteem or one who's humble and modest?"

In each relationship, everybody agrees they would rather be in a relationship with someone who's humble and modest.

You said that growing up, you were often put in your place.

Absolutely.

When I acted like it was all about me, my mom said, "You're getting a little too big for your britches. You either size them to yourself or I'll size them to you."

High self esteem has done no one any favors. And it has certainly not done America any favors.

You say that self-esteem fuels entitlement.

One of the ways this was sold to America was the idea that it would help people perform better.

People with high self-esteem perform below level.

Today's teachers tell me that students are satisfied with mediocre performance.

This is what today's employers tell me.  They too believe that mediocrity has become  okay in the work place.