Each day, an individual is exposed to various social circumstances and life experiences that challenge their confidence, self-esteem, and sense of worth. Although these concepts seem similar, the idea of self-worth is the most volatile. The concept of self-worth depends on social and individual values, which may conflict, leading to inner hesitance in individuals and their eagerness to follow socially imposed standards.
In society, the ranking of its members develops naturally as large groups of people interact more effectively when a hierarchical system is established. Thus, the community starts to rely on a set of values that define some individuals as more worthy and others as less worthy (Lamont, 2019). Self-worth, on the other hand, is a sense of worth that belongs to an individual. However, despite one’s ability to value themselves without a reference to social conventions, it is likely that their self-worth would depend on their environment and how others view them. For instance, in American society, people tend to “evaluate themselves using the standards of success” that refer to the upper-class (Lamont, 2019). Thus, the prevailing image of worthiness in a particular society has a significant influence on how people perceive their worthiness. Therefore, individuals rely on aligning with some attributes they perceive as valuable instead of finding value in what they already have as personalities.
Overall, the concept of self-worth suggests that there is value in each individual so that one may feel worthy. Nonetheless, what people perceive as valuable depends on society and surrounding circumstances making the meaning of self-worth changeable. Such dependence may help people work on themselves to become more valuable members of the community. However, it can also be distressing if the need to discover and accept one’s individual value is ignored.
Reference
Lamont, M. (2019). From ‘having’ to ‘being’: Self‐worth and the current crisis of American society. The British Journal of Sociology, 70(3), 660–707.