Where do you think self-esteem comes from?

Um, gosh, I wish we knew. I mean, I think the first thing to say is a bit of a mystery. If we knew how to bottle this stuff, you know, if you look at the differences between what human beings achieve, it isn't easily explained by intelligence. Everything shows that, that broadly speaking,

you know, intelligence accounts for the smaller portion of the massive differences in achievement.

And that's galling. It's, it isn't what the school system is really about.

And I think a lot of achievement is about imagination

and it's about breaking through obstacles to dreaming of a better world,

a more interesting world, etc.

Self-esteem is somewhere in that story,

because I think self-esteem is about saying, it might happen with me. This thing could be,

I could be in charge of this thing, whatever it is. And I think class plays a role here.

One of the great injuries of a working class background is that it tends to give you a sense that other people are controlling the world.

And you have to negotiate the obstacles they put in place, but you don't get to remove those obstacles.

You just have to work your way around them.

Typical middle class

upbringing, middle class in the UK sense, you know, you get imbued with a feeling that human

beings like you make the world. And that raises your self-esteem. You know, traditionally,

it's an enormous difference to, you know,

if your uncle happens to be, you know, the guy in the civil service who does whatever,

or your, you're slightly annoying second cousin, you know, works in the treasury or something.

You know, this changes your sense of reality because you think, well, of course

I can do something because look at those not that impressive people who I once saw around the

kitchen, etc. So a lot about self-esteem is thinking, how do I stack up next to other people?

...