I was very surprised, a few years ago, to see that
"self-esteem" was a 19th century phrenological faculty
(mapped to the rear of the skull near the top), because
I took it for a modern idea. I don't know how (or even
if) Gall and Spurzheim defined it, but you might like
this offering from the ever-popular William James:
"With no attempt there is no failure; with no
failure, no humiliation. So our self-feeling in this
world depends entirely on what we _back_ ourselves
to be and do. It is determined by the ratio of our ac-
tualities to our supposed potentialities; a fraction of
which our pretensions are the denominator and the
numerator our success: thus,
Self-esteem = Success / Pretensions"
from the "Jimmy," i.e., William James' _Briefer course_, 1892, p. 54.
Quoted in B. R. Hergenhahn _An introduction to the history of
psychology_, 3rd ed. Brooks/Cole, 1997.
-David
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David G. Likely, Department of Psychology,
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, N. B., E3B 5A3 Canada
History of Psychology:
http://www.unb.ca/web/psychology/likely/psyc4053.htm
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