Self-esteem is traditionally regarded as an important human good. But it has suffered a number of injuries to its good name. Critics allege that endeavours to promote self-esteem merely foster narcissism or entitlement, and urge that we redirect our efforts elsewhere. I argue that such criticisms are symptomatic of a normative decline in how we think and theorize about self-esteem rather than a defect in the construct itself. After exposing the shortcomings of alternative proposals, I develop an account of self-esteem that reflects what its supporters have in mind: a valuable form of self-appraisal worth fostering in others and ourselves.

中文翻译：

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自尊：论值得拥有的自我价值的形式

自尊传统上被视为一种重要的人类利益。但它的好名声却遭受了多次伤害。批评者声称，努力提升自尊只会助长自恋或权利，并敦促我们将努力转向其他地方。我认为，此类批评是我们对自尊的思考和理论化方式规范性下降的症状，而不是建构本身的缺陷。在揭露了替代方案的缺点之后，我对自尊进行了阐述，反映了其支持者的想法：一种值得在他人和我们自己身上培养的有价值的自我评价形式。