Self Esteem vs Confidence
... The child’s self-esteem is boosted by all the praise; it does not matter to him that his answer was incorrect. ... This type of situation highlights the differences between the words “self-esteem” and “confidence”: self-esteem is manufactured and disregards the outcomes, while confidence is earned and is primarily concerned with previous results. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “self-esteem” as “favourable appreciation or opinion of oneself” (Volume 9). As the definition states, self-esteem is simply how one thinks of oneself. Thus, high self-esteem is having high regard for oneself and low self-esteem is having a low appreciation of oneself. ... The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “confidence” as “feeling sure or certain of a fact or issue; assurance, certitude, assured expectation” (Volume 2). The word “confidence”originated in the fourteenth century from the Latin word “confidentia,” meaning “to trust” (Harper). Confidence can be understood from the definition to mean being certain of one’s abilities. Having confidence in onself, therefore, means to be sure that one can perform, act, or react accordingly in a situation. As the definitions illustrate, confidence and self-esteem, while closely affiliated with one another, have two very different definitions.