<P> Self - esteem reflects a person's overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth . It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self . Self - esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself, (for example, "I am competent", "I am worthy"), as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame . Smith and Mackie (2007) defined it by saying "The self - concept is what we think about the self; self - esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it ." </P> <P> Self - esteem is attractive as a social psychological construct because researchers have conceptualized it as an influential predictor of certain outcomes, such as academic achievement, happiness, satisfaction in marriage and relationships, and criminal behaviour . Self - esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example, "I believe I am a good writer and feel happy about that") or a global extent (for example, "I believe I am a bad person, and feel bad about myself in general"). Psychologists usually regard self - esteem as an enduring personality characteristic ("trait" self - esteem), though normal, short - term variations ("state" self - esteem) also exist . Synonyms or near - synonyms of self - esteem include many things: self - worth, self - regard, self - respect, and self - integrity . </P>

A person's evaluation about his or her own worthiness is called