Photo by Morgan Basham on Unsplash
Is violence linked to self-esteem? Do aggressive people have low or high self-esteem? It depends on which study you read. Some are convinced that low self-esteem triggers violence since these individuals experience rejection that leads to the blame of others for their problems. It could be that individuals with low self-esteem may lack social skills to express their feelings in a constructive and appropriate way. They may gain a sense of power and superiority through violence when they have no other means to feel valued. On the other hand, others believe that violence is linked to high self-esteem and narcissism. In this case the aggressor has a high opinion of themselves, believes they deserve special treatment and becomes aggressive toward anyone that challenges their sense of self-importance. Which do you think is a more accurate cause of violence? Maybe self-control has a greater link to violence than self-esteem. The bottom line is that learning skills to manage emotion constructively and communicate through conflict effectively will ultimately prevent violence. I would like to encourage parents and our schools to take responsibility for teaching these skills. Give your children love, discipline, and life skills to deal with negative emotions and conflict. They will be forever grateful.