Q. When does one’s level of self-esteem develop?

A. In general, your initial level of self-esteem is developed from the way in which you were treated in childhood and by what you heard said to and about you. There is a connection between the events of childhood and the behaviors exhibited in adulthood related to self-esteem.

Dr. Burton White, eminent Harvard physician and child psychiatrist, believes that the first three years of a child’s life are all-important in the development of a healthy balanced self-concept. In fact, one’s initial perception of self-worth may be well in place by the age of two. Consequently, it takes conscious, concerted effort to change one’s level of self-esteem after the age of three.

It takes hard work to change your sense of self-esteem after the age of three. Is not impossible to do so, however. To engage in this process successfully, you need to identify the contribution of your childhood environments to the development of your initial level of self-worth, and compare/contrast that with the contribution of your present environments.