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What Happens When Your Self-Esteem Is Too High?

March 6, 2019 Sam Woolfe

Is your self-esteem too high? Here's what too much self-esteem looks like and the issues it can lead to. Learn more at HealthyPlace.

When discussing the process of building self-esteem, we often focus on the journey from low self-esteem to healthy self-esteem. But something that often gets left out in this conversation is the danger of building too much self-esteem. Yes, it is possible to have self-esteem that is so high that it causes issues in your life.

What It’s Like to Have Self-Esteem that Is Too High

If you have excessive levels of self-esteem, then you positively evaluate yourself to the extreme. You may praise yourself too much or when it’s not deserved – or you expect others to do the same. When you have self-esteem that is too high, you are likely to be overconfident and overestimate your abilities, attributes, and skills. Your opinion of yourself becomes overblown and unrealistic. People who have too much self-esteem may feel entitled and so self-absorbed that they lose sight of others.

The Dangers of Having Self-Esteem that Is Too High

Like low self-esteem, too much self-esteem can disrupt many aspects of your life. When your self-esteem is too high you may struggle with the following four issues:

  1. Relationship problems -- If you think too highly of yourself, you may suffer from unhealthy relationships. Interestingly, this can manifest in a similar way to people who have low self-esteem. When your self-esteem is low, you may crave praise from others in order to feel validated. Similarly, when your self-esteem is too high, you may also be needy in this way since you have a self-image that you feel has to be verified. This can push away potential or existing partners and friends, especially if praise isn’t given and you react in an angry or harsh manner.
     
  2. Problems with socializing -- People with self-esteem that is too high may find themselves becoming ostracised. This is because they’re often not fun to be around. Most of us prefer to be around people who are down-to-earth and humble -- people who have an honest grip on themselves. In contrast, it’s generally not enjoyable to be around someone whose self-esteem is too high. They may be prone to self-satisfied boasting, smugness, self-entitlement, and self-obsession.
     
  3. Lack of improvement -- If your self-esteem is too high, you may believe that you’re perfect, that nothing needs changing. You become blind to your faults and mistakes you’ve made. This, of course, acts as a barrier to maturity and self-improvement, leading to negative consequences, not just for you but for others you spend a lot of time with (e.g. your romantic partner, family members, friends, and colleagues).
     
  4. Inability to deal with criticism -- If you suffer from low self-esteem, then you may find it hard to deal with criticism. You take everything extremely personally. Any negative remark about you can set off a chain reaction of negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When your self-esteem is too high, you may also struggle to handle criticism in a mature manner. Rather than use criticism to beat yourself up, you may always reject it outright, believing that any criticism about you is false. In order to protect your exaggerated positive self-image, you may come up with all sorts of rationalizations for these criticisms from others. You may tell yourself that people are just jealous of how great you are.

Parents who have children with low self-esteem may excessively praise them as a way to resolve the issue. Even as an adult, if friends, family members, colleagues, or acquaintances get a sense that you have low self-esteem, they may likewise try to shower you with admiration as a way to boost your spirits. But this can backfire, leading to too much self-esteem. As I have highlighted in my previous posts on building self-esteem, it’s important to view yourself in a balanced and honest way. This will help you to achieve a healthy approach to self-development, work, and relationships.

APA Reference
Woolfe, S. (2019, March 6). What Happens When Your Self-Esteem Is Too High?, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, March 19 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2019/3/what-happens-when-your-self-esteem-is-too-high



Author: Sam Woolfe

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Melissa
November, 16 2022 at 8:15 am

Very very true, I myself have always preferred to be the one who sits back and watches what is happening around me and I will mix accordingly, I will never judge directly but I will pick people who are down to earth virsus full of themselves and glorifying themselves all the time we all get tired of this after some time! I like being around positive people just as much but if a person is completely self absorbed in conversation then I will very quickly choose to withdraw from the conversation and prefer to be quiet or walk away from that person as I don’t like waves and I don’t like people having to stand out from everyone and be in front irrespective of what the matter is about!

Helena Arthur
August, 23 2022 at 8:31 am

This site was helpful

Anika
March, 17 2022 at 6:39 pm

Vega I would not say sociopaths have high self esteem. It is a mental problem and like most mental problems stems from suffering in life. That is the reason why they feel dead inside. They are upset individuals and need help. However high self esteem is worse than feeling confident in yourself which seems to be what you are describing. High self esteem shows great immaturity of the person. These sort of people can not succeed in life. I know because of my experience.

Rose
November, 9 2021 at 4:49 am

Good job

Jeanne Doko
September, 11 2021 at 3:04 pm

It’s hard to help a married daughter who is too high self esteem. As parents we hope her the best in marriage. How to ease her go n find a help frm pschycologist & the like.
Is it May the same as bipolar? Pls explain, thx

Vega
August, 22 2020 at 8:20 am

All of this stems from self esteem that is actually too low. It’s all an act. The only other people who might be considered to have self esteem that is too high (grandiosity) would be sociopaths. Beyond that, who is to say how much self esteem is “too much”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, even if the beholder happens to be yourself.

Bumblebee
November, 19 2023 at 4:19 am

Your post is really odd and may indicate you being a victim of that issue.
'Too much' is when it is causing problems. Everything can be a poison.
Vitamines are healthy. Too much of any vitamin can kill you though.
'Who is to say'? OK,who are you to say (it is not)?
You believe what you think, your perception of the world, is the only truth and you come and insult the author. That is exactly what is described in the article of people with overinflated selfs.
The issue with mentally illed people is that many of them don't understand they are ill.
I unfortunately met a person like that. It took me ages to put my finger on why I always resented that person. This oerson would never appologize for own wrong doings. She just said, she didn't know she was that way. So she kind of understood she did something wrong, but felt entitled to do so or no need to apologize.
She was confused why I and others distanted my self from her, but at the end it was our fault for being too sensitive.
Well, if people turning their back on you because you don't turn up on dates nor bother calling or apologizing... of people don't agree with your bad opinion about them which you serve them everytime you meet oe talk...
well, then humans are obviously crazy and not you.
Well, to her she just spoke the truth and if t
other people can't accept they are crap and being reminded about it, what is she supposed to do???
Obviously those low being must suffer from low self esteem to cut her off. That is pure logic... at least to an insane mind it is indeed...
She is exact that type of person the article talks about.
I still feel agression when thinking pf her. You just feel you have to protect yourself from her and she keeps running after you and insulting you and believes she is not insane...
I got trauma from sticking around for too long with this person.

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