Psychology struggles with self-esteem. It’s a will o’ the wisp – chased around all the time but never pinned down: everyone’s sure self-esteem is important but no-one can work out what to say about it with a great deal of conviction. The NHS and Mind think it’s significant enough in terms of mental health to deserve its own topic on their websites but when it comes to explaining why, the best they can come up with is statements like
You write clearly and emphatically, Jonathan. Have you come across the books of James Davies on the DSM etc?
And it looks like Mounty has crossed over, too!