Better Than Self-Esteem Is Reality-Esteem

Hayek offers a correction to the failed self-esteem paradigm and the damage it has caused

Amidst the self-esteem craze, students study less, feel more ambitious, and are more sure of themselves despite a decline in measured abilities.VGstockstudio/Shutterstock

Many people want to build their self-esteem and confidence. A Google search reveals more than 500 million entries on confidence-building, while self-help books and scholarly articles abound.

An influential bestseller by Harvard professor Amy Cuddy, “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges,” was on lists of best business books in 2015 and 2016.