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I once heard a lecture by Prof. Roy Baumeister of University of Queensland in which he described attempts to cure depression by improving the self-esteem of dep
by Arun2009 6y ago
I once heard a lecture by Prof. Roy Baumeister of University of Queensland in which he described attempts to cure depression by improving the self-esteem of depressed individuals. The researchers thought that perhaps if the patients had a more accurate view of themselves, they would have a more positive mental state.
Unfortunately, they found that it was the non-depressed individuals who had an inaccurate view of their abilities and station in life! The depressed individuals seemed to view themselves quite accurately. So apparently, a bias towards evaluating yourself more positively seemed to play a role in inculcating positive mental states.
He said that instead of the much touted self-esteem, he now thought that perhaps we should focus on control and self-discipline. Overall an interesting idea, I thought.
- swiley 6y agoIf you feel depressed buy a houseplant. Having something to take care of helps a surprising amount. I went through a really rough time last year and taking care of a plant I got at a friend's wedding helped me get through it.
- jmt_ 6y agoI bought a houseplant during a depressive episode. I forgot about it for days at a time, because I was depressed, and it died. Having "something to care for" did nothing for me.
- smichel17 6y agoMy cat would never let me forget to feed her for a couple of hours, let alone days.
- bonoboTP 6y agoBuy better plants. Or buy many and see which one survives your level of care. My plants can survive weeks and weeks without water and sometimes even sunlight. They don't look fancy and don't grow much but are sturdy and can bridge over gaps when I don't have the energy or mental space to care for them.
- kaybe 6y ago50 houseplants later...
- khalilravanna 6y agoI believe the Paradox of Choice talks about something like this. When you make a mistake you can either A) introspect, own up to it and learn from it or B) shirk responsibility and push it off on the environment/context instead of oneself. A) will make you a better person but B) will make you happier. The key the author stated was basically a balance of the two. Own up to the things that are really within your power to control but don’t be a masochist and take the blame for every little thing. You’ll be happier in the long run.
- ketamine__ 6y agoI think this is the opposite thinking (but the same outcome?) of what is discussed in David Burn's Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy book. Were these individuals really no good individuals that didn't deserve anything? Or were their thoughts based on cognitive distortions? For example, a star athlete may have to retire because of injuries. He may become depressed and feel worthless because he can't do something that he loved. This view evaluates his entire life by one aspect and focuses on the negative. Surely these individuals that the researchers studied have some good qualities?
- munchbunny 6y agoI can only speak from my own experiences and my internal monologue, but I think the attribution to self-esteem was an error in correlation vs. causation. The problem is that self-esteem can come from both true competence and false self-evaluation. If you've cultivated your ability to learn, if you believe based on prior history that you can master things over time, and and if you've developed the patience to give yourself time, you get a virtuous cycle, and self-esteem is one of the outcomes, imposter syndrome be damned. If you have a falsely confident sense of your own capabilities borne from not being able to truly assess yourself, self-esteem happens to be one of the results, but it's emotionally fragile. I think control and self-discipline is a repeatable path to competence and self-esteem based on what you are actually capable of.