What's the Difference Between Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence?
Self-esteem and self-confidence are often used interchangeably. However, they are very different. Self-confidence is a measure of our belief in our own abilities, whereas self-esteem relates to our sense of self and how we interact with the world. The confusion of these two terms often sends people down the wrong path, searching for self-esteem through their abilities or achievements.
Self-Confidence
Self-confidence refers to the confidence that we have in specific areas of life and is about trusting yourself and your abilities to achieve goals and succeed at challenges. Self-confidence is outward facing and is often easier to build than self-esteem. Confidence comes from knowledge and practice; therefore, the more experience we have in something, the more confident we become. Confidence comes from the Latin word fidere, meaning “to trust” (Burton, 2015). Therefore, to be self-confident one must trust in oneself and their ability to engage with the world. Being self-confident typically leads to successful experiences, which further builds self-confidence in those areas. However, most people lean on self-confidence for happiness rather than working on self-esteem. The problem with this is that our success is often short-lived, only occurring when we excel at a new challenge.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem refers to how we feel about ourselves and helps to guide our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Self-esteem is inward facing and often dictates the way we engage with the world and others. Esteem comes from the Latin word aestimare, meaning “to appraise, value, rate, or estimate” (Burton, 2015) and is thus our own appraisal of our worth. Self-esteem is formed through our life experiences as well as our relationships with others. Individuals with high self-esteem do not need to prop themselves up using income or status and do not fear failure or rejection. Additionally, they are open to experiences, tolerant of risk, and are accepting of themselves and others.
Is it possible to have one without the other?
Self-esteem and self-confidence do not always occur together. It is entirely possible to be confident in your abilities but have low self-esteem. For example, a professional athlete or celebrity may have a lot of self-confidence in their abilities but may suffer from low self-esteem and doubt their worth. However, when we are confident in areas of our lives, it may help to increase our overall sense of esteem, allowing us to work on both at the same time.