esteem. He proposed that feelings of self-worth stem from the “looking glass self.” That is, our perceptions of how we appear in the eyes of others. If we believe that others judge us positively, we’ll feel good about ourselves. If we believe that others judge us negatively, we’ll feel bad about ourselves. Self-esteem, in other words, stems not only from our own self-judgments, but also the perceived judgments of others. Highlight the word perceived.
