Low Self-Esteem of Psychotherapy Patients: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

In this article the story of 11 male psychotherapeutic patients with low self- esteem is told within the context of the research process. The literature suggests that the concept of “self-esteem” has a significant influence on the way an individual experiences his/her world. Therefore, the meaning that the psychotherapeutic patients associated with negative and positive labels, as it relates to self-esteem, was examined using grounded theory. The main storyline is conceptualized as follows; negative suggestion from the patient’s past leads to low self-esteem which is, within his emotional problematics and by means of a negative thinking scheme, unhealthily handled. Therapy from a medical hypno-analytical perspective is used to replace negative labels by facilitating the attachment of positive meaning to his self-esteem.