User:Andrew J. T. Brown/sandbox

Motivation and emotion

Self-Esteem and Motivation

Appendix A: Rosenberg Scale Critique and Proposal for New Self-Esteem Scale
By far the most popular scale for measuring self-esteem is the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), used in literally thousands of research studies to substantiate all manner of claims about self-esteem. This scale needs to be systematically deconstructed and critiqued not with another research study but with reason.

Statement 1: I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others.

What does it mean to be a person of worth? What determines this worth? What does “at least on an equal plane with others” actually mean? I take it this means one’s worth is relative to others. This would mean that self-esteem is social-metaphysical, comparative in nature, rather than an independent phenomenon of an individual human psyche that is self-generated. What then of the person who tries, who persists, who uses their mind conscientiously, who lives with purpose and pursues goals to fulfil meaningful wants and needs, compared to the person who is simply the most popular in their school or workplace?

Statement 2: I feel that I have a number of good qualities.

This does not gauge self-esteem. I can say I am intelligent, good-looking, well-liked by others, and yet secretly feel hopelessly inadequate when it comes to the tasks of living consciously, with integrity, and with self-reliance. Reciprocally, one who has high self-esteem may have several qualities they do not like about themselves – perhaps they are overweight or unattractive or consistently manage to spill their coffee in the morning.

Statement 3: All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure .

What does feeling like a failure mean? A failure at my job, at golf, at cleaning out the fridge? Or is it all these things? And is this a failure relative to my own standards or someone else’s? Since one person’s failure may be another person’s greatest success. To consider a real-world issue, many North Koreans may feel themselves to be failures due to not worshipping their “dear leader” as much as is expected of them, while others may feel they are failures because they have let the expectations imposed on them by other people cloud and distort their own judgement. The implications for self-esteem in these two cases differ tremendously.

Statement 4: I am able to do things as well as most other people .

This is not measuring self-esteem, but capabilities relative to others. Thus, if I am mentally disabled, what then? What if I work hard, try my best, persist, pay attention to my thinking, pay attention to what I am feeling, strive to be myself even when it’s hard – does none of this matter in terms of self-esteem? If I am of normal intelligence but lost a limb in a car accident, what then? Does that mean I necessarily lose self-esteem since I can no longer walk, run, kick, jump, like everyone else? If I am a genius and can do virtually anything better than anyone else, does that automatically grant me high self-esteem? If I spend my time resting on laurels, indulging in feelings of superiority, treating others disdainfully and so on, what then?

Statement 5: I feel I do not have much to be proud of.

This is much closer to the mark. Genuine pride and self-esteem are not the same, but go hand in hand. “Self-esteem contemplates what needs to be done and says “I can.” Pride contemplates what has been accomplished and says “I did.”” (Branden, 1994, pp. 40)

Statement 6: I take a positive attitude toward myself.

This is better, but it would help if what positive attitude means is clarified. It may also be different for one person compared to another. For example, a positive attitude for one person may be dispelling any discomfiting or painful thought or feeling from their psyche, or not being realistic about their strengths and weaknesses, both of which subvert and damage self-esteem.

Statement 7: On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.

This is better, although – On what grounds? Am I satisfied with my sexual “conquests” and drug trafficking achievements, or the quality of my work ethic and interpersonal communication? Is the satisfaction deep, superficial, genuine? Relative to others (e.g., “I am satisfied because I have a better TV than 99.99% of Africans”) or relative to my own knowledge of myself? Also, what if there are certain things I do not like about myself, such as a birthmark? Does this mean lowered self-esteem?

Statement 8: I wish I could have more respect for myself.

This is not assessing self-esteem, and can be terribly misleading. A person’s wishing they could have more respect for themselves says little or nothing of the level of their self-esteem. A person of very high self-esteem may wish to increase their self-respect further – in fact, this is highly likely. Self-respect and self-esteem are only positive, only healthful.

Statement 9: I certainly feel useless at times.

What does this mean? Useless at hanging out washing, holding down a job, or curing cancer? Or is it a general sense of inefficaciousness? And what of natural capabilities here, given that “useless” for an intelligent person may be “useful” for another depending on the task. Is this useless relative to others or myself?

Statement 10: At times I think I am no good at all.

What does this mean? What is no good at all? No good at this task or that task, no good at being myself or being what everyone else wants me to be? Is this no good compared to others or compared to what I know about my own capabilities and potentialities?

Such questions are not designed to humiliate or offend; rather they are asked in order clarify what the underlying assumptions are, to assess whether such scales are actually measuring what they need to be measuring. As far as I can tell, the Rosenberg scale can only measure self-esteem superficially at best, and that requires some luck from the participant’s interpretation. This has been the foremost scale for empirical research on self-esteem for 50 years. If one considers that hundreds or perhaps thousands of studies using this and similar scales have informed many large-scale Government initiatives and thousands of helping profession practice policies and guidelines, implementation programs in schools, workplaces, mental institutions, rehabilitation centres, and so on, affecting hundreds of thousands or millions of people directly … one may start to get a sense of the gravity of this issue. While I am not aware of a Branden scale per se, I am in the very early stages of developing a new self-esteem scale that encompasses what I see to be a more intelligible set of measures, consistent (or at least largely consistent) with Branden’s philosophy. (See below.)

A working proposal for a new self-esteem scale
This scale has been developed through a combination of my own ideas and reasoning and the ideas presented in the books of renowned self-help author/psychologist Nathaniel Branden. This is not a “Nathaniel Branden self-esteem scale” but a scale intended to be as consistent with his philosophy of self-esteem as possible, not necessarily in literal exactitude but in meaning.

Although there are 66 items, I do not consider this scale to be anywhere near complete. More work needs to be done to assess the validity of these measures, to assess what each statement’s relative influence on self-esteem is, and to get a fuller picture of the factors most indicative of self-esteem or its lack. The numbers one gets on these scales should only be used as indications of self-esteem level/health; they will not provide the participant with an absolute truth… I am not even sure that is possible, but hopefully they will inform your understanding of a very important aspect of your mental health and motivate you to learn and grow in this area.

When taking these tests the most important thing is that you approach them honestly, as honestly as you possibly can. This test is not designed to show you how “bad” you are or to give you the sense that there is something wrong with you as a person. That is the last thing I would want to do! This is designed to give you a relatively realistic indication of how you think and feel about yourself so you can ascertain how things are just now, see what areas could be improved, and most importantly develop ideas and motivation for growth and change.

A WORD OF WARNING: This scale is to be done at your own risk. (I mean this in total seriousness.) There is some “heavy” material in here, and reading these items may activate psychological defences. You may find yourself tensing up, developing feelings of defensiveness, anger, anxiety, depression, or other unwanted emotions. In this case, I suggest you take it slowly, breathe gently and deeply and without fighting feelings, allow yourself to experience their natural progression. Nathaniel Branden would say “breathe in to your feelings” (see e.g., Branden, 1985, pp. 161). You may find yourself feeling disoriented, vulnerable, and at times a little uncomfortable. This is okay, and oftentimes it is desirable. Try to be attentive to your inner signals and let them tell you what they need you to hear.

The idea for completing this scale is to jot down or circle the number that best represents you for each statement. These numbers will be added up at the end to give you your self-esteem score.

Before beginning scale it is advised that you read over the following half-sentence a few times and try to summon the meaning of it to guide your answer for each statement: With absolutely all the honesty and clarityI can muster, putting aside my perceptions of others and their real or imagined perceptions of me, prior to this, at present, in the future, and seeing myself and my life solely through my own eyes…


 * 1) If I were about to die unavoidably in a few hours, about myself I would feel (7) extremely proud/content about the way I had lived, (6) very proud/content, (5) proud/content, (4) somewhat proud, somewhat ashamed, (3) ashamed/unhappy, (2) very ashamed/unhappy, (1) extremely ashamed/unhappy
 * 2) I feel my life and time on Earth is (7) extremely important, (6) very important, (5) important, (4) somewhat important, (3) unimportant, (2) very unimportant, (1) extremely unimportant
 * 3) Thinking of the general manner in which I conduct my life, I feel (5) very proud, (4) proud, (3) somewhat proud/somewhat ashamed, (2) ashamed, (1) very ashamed
 * 4) Thinking about the way I deal with the thoughts that enter my head, I feel (5) very satisfied, (4), satisfied, (3) somewhat satisfied, somewhat unsatisfied, (2) unsatisfied, (1), very unsatisfied
 * 5) Thinking about the way I use my mind, I feel (5) very satisfied, (4) satisfied, (3), somewhat satisfied, somewhat unsatisfied, (2) unsatisfied, (1) very unsatisfied
 * 6) It is personally important to me to use my mind very well/as well as I can. (5) Strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 7) In general I use my mind very well/as well as I can manage (5), mostly well (4), sometimes well (3), sometimes not well, mostly poorly (2), mostly very poorly (1)
 * 8) In general, when I approach an unfamiliar task and need to learn how to proceed, I feel (5) confident, (4) somewhat confident, (3) between somewhat confident and somewhat helpless/inefficacious, (2) somewhat helpless/inefficacious, (1) helpless/inefficacious
 * 9) Concerning coping with and mastering the everyday challenges I face with myself, I generally feel (5) very confident, (4) confident, (3) in between confident and unconfident, (2) unconfident/inefficacious, (1) very unconfident/inefficacious
 * 10) Concerning coping with and mastering the everyday challenges I face in my life, I generally feel (5) very confident, (4) confident, (3) in between confident and unconfident, (2) unconfident/inefficacious, (1) very unconfident/inefficacious
 * 11) I feel that success is (5) very natural/appropriate, (4) natural/appropriate, (3) somewhat natural/appropriate, somewhat unnatural/inappropriate, (2) unnatural/inappropriate, (1) very unnatural/inappropriate for me
 * 12) I feel that friendship is (5) very natural/appropriate, (4) natural/appropriate, (3) somewhat natural/appropriate, somewhat unnatural/inappropriate, (2) unnatural/inappropriate, (1) very unnatural/inappropriate for me
 * 13) I feel that love is (5) very natural/appropriate, (4) natural/appropriate, (3) somewhat natural/appropriate, somewhat unnatural/inappropriate, (2) unnatural/inappropriate, (1) very unnatural/inappropriate for me
 * 14) I feel that to be respected is (5) very natural/appropriate, (4) natural/appropriate, (3) somewhat natural/appropriate, somewhat unnatural/inappropriate, (2) unnatural/inappropriate, (1) very unnatural/inappropriate for me
 * 15) I feel that happiness is (5) very natural/appropriate, (4) natural/appropriate, (3) somewhat natural/appropriate, somewhat unnatural/inappropriate, (2) unnatural/inappropriate, (1) very unnatural/inappropriate for me
 * 16) To what extent do you agree with the statement “reality is my friend” (this means in principle, conceptually): (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 17) To what extent do you agree with the statement “I am in a friendly relationship with myself”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 18) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge positive or neutral facts about life in general”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 19) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge positive or neutral facts about other people”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 20) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge positive or neutral facts about myself”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 21) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge discomfiting or unpleasant facts about life in general”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 22) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge discomfiting or unpleasant facts about other people”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 23) “I feel competent and willing to acknowledge discomfiting and unpleasant facts about myself”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 24) “I feel competent and willing to see what I see and know what I know”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 25) “I feel competent and willing to take responsibility for my choices and actions: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 26) “I feel competent and willing to take responsibility for my life and well being: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 27) “I feel competent and willing to take responsibility for my personal happiness: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 28) “I feel competent and willing to take responsibility for my raising and lowering my self-esteem: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 29) “I am the author of my choices and actions”: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 30) Finding and knowing the truth, to me personally, is: (7) extremely important, (6) very important, (5) important, (4) somewhat important/somewhat unimportant, (3) unimportant, (2) very unimportant, (7) extremely unimportant
 * 31) It is what I know – the truth as best I understand it – that informs my actions. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 32) I feel, in principle, it is personally important for me to keep my word. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 33) It is very normal for me to keep my word. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 34) The person I feel I am on the inside is very much the person I feel I project to the outside world. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 35) I feel it is personally important to share and assert myself (appropriately) with and around others. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 36) I make a habit of expressing myself in appropriate ways and appropriate contexts. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 37) It is personally important for me to be true to myself around others. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 38) I make a habit of being true to myself, respecting myself and upholding my standards around others. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 39) It is personally important for me to do what I myself believe to be good, right. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 40) I make a habit of doing what I myself believe to be good, right. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 41) It is personally important to me to “walk my talk”, honour my values and convictions in my actions. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 42) I see myself as someone who “walks his/her talk”, honours their values and convictions in their actions. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 43) Making and achieving goals for myself is personally important to me. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 44) I have a habit of making and working to achieve goals in those areas important to me. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 45) My general orientation encompasses an affirmative (“Yes!”) attitude to myself. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 46) My general orientation encompasses an affirmative (“Yes!”) attitude to my life. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 47) I am confident in my ability, in principle, to learn what I need and want to learn. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 48) I am ambitious about what I want to achieve in life, in terms of what I want to experience. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 49) Trying my best is important to me. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 50) Generally speaking I make a habit of trying my best at what I do. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 51) Persevering, when I know it is for positive outcomes, is important to me. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 52) Generally speaking, I make a habit of persevering, not giving up, when I believe the direction I am heading in to be right/positive/life-improving. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 53) When I do not feel I am being respected I make sure I act to remedy that (in appropriate ways and contexts). (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 54) I am quick to bounce back from setbacks. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 55) It is personally important to me do things for the joy, love and positives they inspire in me. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 56) Thinking about the emotions that normally drive my actions, my chief motivations for doing what I do tend to be love, joy, confidence. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 57) Thinking about the emotions that normally drive my actions, my chief motivations for doing what I do tend to be fear or the desire to avoid pain. (5) STRONGLY DISAGREE, (4) DISAGREE, (3) NEITHER DISAGREE NOR AGREE, (2) AGREE, (1) STRONGLY AGREE

~

For the following items measuring physical indications of self-esteem health (based on Branden, 1994, pp. 44), you may find it useful to get another person’s opinion. As with all of these it is important to be as objective as you can.

Barring cases of ill physical health I would say:


 * 1) My posture is erect, my body well-balanced and generally relaxed. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 2) My breathing is generally relaxed, easy. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 3) My jaw is relaxed. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 4) My eyes tend to be bright, lively, alert. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 5) My arms tend to hang easily, naturally. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 6) My walk tends to be purposeful. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 7) I feel a general sense of ease in speaking as loudly and as softly as is necessary for the situation. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 8) My pronunciation is clear. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree
 * 9) I feel generally relaxed inside my body. (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree

~

It is time to add up your total score.

If you got between 267 and 334, your self-esteem is likely to be healthy.

If you got between 201 and 267, your self-esteem is likely to be moderately healthy with some ill health.

If you got between 134 and 201, your self-esteem is likely be moderately unhealthy with some health.

If you got between 67 and 134, your self-esteem is likely to be very unhealthy. *

If you got between 0 and 67, your self-esteem is likely to be extremely unhealthy. *

* If you are in these latter two categories it is strongly suggested that you use the resources listed below and consider seeking help from a counsellor or psychotherapist.

IMPORTANT:

It may be that you have consistently low responses in one area (such as physical signs of self-esteem). This is an indication that this area requires your attention. Focussing on improving the area that you are most lacking in will be greatly beneficial for your self-esteem.

Here are two links to free resources that can aid you substantially in improving the health of your self-esteem.

The Art of Self-Discovery

Nathaniel Branden’s website

If you would like to learn more about how to grow in self-esteem the following books are likely to be of help.

How to Raise Your Self-Esteem

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

Both these titles can be found on bookdepository.com and amazon.com

Fundamentals Summary
In summary, what distinguishes human beings from other animals is that thinking – the use of our rational or conceptual faculty – is our basic means of survival. We cannot escape this fact of our nature, much as people often appear to want to. Just as our bodies need to assess which chemical makeups are beneficial and life serving and which are not, psychologically, we need to know that the way we are using our minds, the way we are choosing to function, is right. In a similar vein, the stronger and healthier our physical immune systems, the more likely we are to remain physically healthy. The same principle applies to self-esteem. For these reasons Branden conceives (authentic) self-esteem as the “immune system of consciousness”, “providing resistance, strength, a capacity for regeneration”. (Branden, 1994, pp. 18)

More on Self-Responsibility
I would like here just to focus on one crucial area of self-responsibility to see what a difference it can make to our lives. Imagine what the world would look like if today everybody took 5% more personal responsibility for their own choices and actions. If we right now just isolate one area of life at a time and imagine what would happen … Imagine the implications – for whether the cleaning up gets done, for whether an argument starts about whose job it was, for what sorts of posts one is likely to see or not see on Facebook, for how loud the music is going to be next door this Saturday, for how many people “chuck a sickie” at work next Monday; for dishonesty, deception, schoolyard and workplace harassment, bullying, passive-aggressive, manipulative and controlling behaviour, and character assassination (to find this phenomenon one need only watch how our politicians relate to one another on TV); for racism, for sexism, for reckless driving, for drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, all manner of crimes from fraud to theft to arson to murder, collusion, corruption, political strangleholds and dictatorships.

But I am not just talking about the reduction of negatives – and this is important: Imagine the productivity increase. Imagine how much more creative and compassionate and friendly and open people would be. Imagine how much more we would like ourselves and other people. Imagine the good will and benevolence that it would inspire in people. Imagine the implications for personal relationships, for business partnerships, for diplomacy, democracy – for world peace.

More Quotes
"I think high self-esteem is overrated. A little low self-esteem is actually quite good. Maybe you're not the best, so you should work harder." - Jay Leno

When Jay Leno is talking about high self-esteem he is likely referring to what people consider to be typical negative notions of high self-esteem such as deriving a sense of worth from overstating one's importance, overestimating one’s assets, and indulging in feelings of superiority. None of this is healthy, but neither is low self-esteem. It is not about “being the best” or proving or justifying yourself, but about “doing your best” for your own sake, for your own enjoyment of life.

'Isn't it better to have low self-esteem over pride? - Anonymous'

Such notions are profoundly dangerous, especially for young people trying to develop into psychologically healthy, self-reliant individuals.

1.       No, it is not.

2.       There is nothing wrong with pride - it is only positive

3.       Pride and self-esteem are reality based, not delusional (Branden, 1994)

Textbook Critique Extension
Reeve goes on to say “…it is an effect – a reflection of how our lives are going. It is a barometer of well-being. When life is going well, self-esteem rises; when life is going poorly, self-esteem falls.” (Reeve, 2014, pp. 8) Later he expands on this, saying “Self-esteem is essentially a scorecard or scoreboard to report on how well or how poorly things are going in our lives.” (Reeve, 2014, pp. 306) That self-esteem is (also) an effect is completely true, however what Reeve is strong implying is that self-esteem is not something properly within our control, it is something that just happens to us, determined by the external events of our lives.

Let us test this out briefly. If my grandfather gets diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, or if a drunk driver crashes their vehicle into my house, or if the movie I have been wanting to see at the end of the year turns out to be lousy, or if there have been rain and hailstorms for the last two weeks where I live, I should diminish in value in my own eyes? I should lose my self-confidence and self-respect? I find such a notion offensive.

The real-world wisdom is this: ''“Some things we have control over; others we do not. If I hold myself responsible for matters beyond my control, I put my self-esteem in jeopardy, since inevitably I will fail my expectations. If I deny responsibility for matters within my control, again I jeopardize my self-esteem. I need to know the difference between that which is up to me and that which is not. The only consciousness over which I have volitional control is my own.”'' (Branden, 1994, pp. 109)

Omissions of the role of self-responsibility are very conspicuous in this text (Reeve, 2015). “Few people … would say they helped a stranger because of their mood, and fewer would say they committed murder or hurled baseballs at the heads of opponents because of the hot temperature. Still, these are conditions that cause motivations.” (Reeve, 2014, pp. 22) There is a good reason for this: NO ONE commits murder because it is hot – “Man, it’s hot today… maybe I’ll just go shoot someone.” The implication of the author’s statement is downright offensive. To give the impression of intellectual conscientiousness elsewhere while making statements suggesting we are only capable of or ought to take as much responsibility for our actions as a two-year-old…

In fact it is worse than that: A two year old does not know how to murder someone. In order to say we murdered someone because it was hot we have to have progressed beyond the two-year-old’s intellectual capacity to be able to murder, and then duly abjure all surplus responsibility back to the two-year-old’s level again in order to be able to say “I couldn’t help it.” The sad thing is, this is what one finds in so many university textbooks and so much psychological research. Any talk of self-responsibility or personal integrity or the appropriate use of mind is always so conspicuously absent. The problem is always sitting right there in front of us, but nobody seems to want to call it what it is.