5 Psychology Theories That Will Transform The Way You See Yourself
#2 Your self-esteem is determined through others
People used to think the earth was flat. It was an implicit theory, because indeed, it appeared to be so.
You too, might carry such implicit theories about the world. And it’s not unusual to have a few. Formed through interactions with your parents, peers, and experience, they’ve been conceived, updated, and gradually established to the point they inform what you think and do.
But just as the flat-earth theory turned out, they might not be correct. It might just be you haven’t encountered something that violates their assumptions yet.
Studying for my master’s degree in psychology, I’ve encountered plenty of academic theories. And while many have taught me useful things, my most important realization is that it doesn’t matter what you initially believe, as long as you’re willing to update it. That’s the surest way to improve one’s understanding of the self and the world.
Now, although theories within academia might not be 100% correct either, they have the advantage of being scrutinized by the scientific method — having its assumptions tested through systematic collection of data. And that means they’re usually better than implicit theories.
