A WOMAN'S SELF-ESTEEM STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS IN THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY

NATHANIEL BRANDEN

Check out other recommended books on self-esteem, self-confidence and self-acceptance.	An inspirational guide tailored to the special needs of women. Based on the intimate stories of women who have struggled with issues of self-esteem, this invaluable book offers step-by-step guidance for women who want to transform themselves and create lives that are powerful, energized, and motivated. Self-esteem is the disposition to experience ourselves as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and as being worthy of happiness. In A Woman's Self-Esteem, psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden shares personal stories and intimate accounts of how women struggling with issues of self-esteem have transformed themselves and created lives that are powerful, energized, and motivated. A Woman's Self-Esteem is also a guide for helping women learn the positive impact they can make on their own lives and how their actions will result in a stronger sense of competence and self-worth. Branden, the author of the acclaimed book The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, explains that the foundation of a healthy self-esteem rests on six key practices or virtues -- living consciously, self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, purposeful living, and personal integrity --- and reveals how women can cultivate these essential virtues to reach their full potential. To support women in this quest, the book is filled with creative exercises developed to enhance personal development and fortify self-esteem. The book also contains the provocative essay Was Ayn Rand a Feminist? which relates issues of self-esteem to contemporary feminism. In addition to the inspirational personal stories, A Women's Self-Esteem is filled with effective strategies that can help solve common and frustrating problems ranging from convincing family members to help with the housework to short-circuiting a lover's sarcastic remarks. This book also offers practical tactics for resolving more complex issues such as how to overcome self-doubt or reveal our vulnerabilities to those closest to us. In A Woman's Self-Esteem, Branden debunks common myths and reminds us that self-esteem is not a gift given to us by others. Branden offers a revealing examination of the special issues that women grapple with, including romantic love, jealousy, fear of selfishness, expressing anger, defensiveness, and success anxiety. The author's inspiration, real-life vignettes show how women have come to terms with these complex issues by breaking away from self-sabotaging patterns and taking the necessary steps to create more satisfying lives. [from the front and back flap of the hardbound edition]	Buy This Book
	About the Author
	Nathaniel Branden is a pioneer in the field of self-esteem. A practicing clinician in Los Angeles, he is also an international corporate consultant on self-esteem. Branden is the author of many widely acclaimed books including Taking Responsibility, The Art of Living Consciously, and Self-Esteem at Work (Josey-Bass). [from the back flap of the hardbound edition]
	Table of Contents
	Contents Preface PART ONE: THE BASIC STEPS 1. The Importance of Self-Esteem 2. Living Consciously 3. Self-Acceptance 4. Embracing Our Strengths 5. Self-Responsibility 6. Self-Assertiveness 7. Living Purposefully 8. Integrity PART TWO: SPECIAL ISSUES 9. Romantic Love 10. Fear of Selfishness 11. Jealousy 12. Expressing Anger 13. Defensiveness 14. Success Anxiety PART THREE: EMPOWERING STRATEGIES 15. Trying Something Different 16. Knowing Our Boundaries 17. Building a Career 18. Experimenting in Intimacy 19. Choosing Happiness Appendix: Was Ayn Rand a Feminist? References Author's note About the Author Index  ix      3  13  19  25  33  39  45  53    63  69  75  81  87  97   105 111 117 123 129 135 149 151 153 155 [from the hardbound edition]
	Reviews
	Read some reviews of this book on the Amazon.com website: A Woman's Self-Esteem: Struggles and Triumphs in the Search for Identity
	Excerpts
	"...When working on self-esteem, there are two aspects to be considered. One has to do with healing childhood traumas and psychic wounds that have resulted in a damaged sense of self--in other words, the elimination of negatives. The other is building of positives: learning those practices and ways of operating that result in a strengthened sense of competence and worth. The latter is our focus here. "Whereas the first concern often requires psychotherapy or some other form of professional help, the latter is a domain that a motivated adult can pursue on her own, for example, by studying and experimenting with the ideas and suggestions advanced in this book. Having worked with people for four decades, I am convinced that most of us tend to underestimate what we are capable of accomplishing. We are all more than our problems..." A Woman's Self-Esteem Preface, pages xii-xiii "Without self-acceptance, self-esteem is impossible. If I am locked in a pattern of self-rejection, my personal growth is stifled--and I am not going to be happy... "'To accept' is to experience reality fully, without denial or avoidance. This is different from merely 'acknowledging' or 'admitting' in the abstract. I can accept the reality of things about myself that I do not like, admire, or condone at all. Here is a simple example. "Suppose I am feeling envious of my friend, who has a better job and a more satisfying love life. To practice self-acceptance does not mean to like or enjoy my feeling of envy. It means to own and experience the feeling as mine, not to deny or disown it. It also means to retain a sense of my value, even though I do not like what I am feeling right now. I respect facts, in this case the fact that I am feeling envy. I allow myself to experience the feeling, and I examine it. My concern is not with 'judging' myself but with being aware. Perhaps among other things, I will learn that I have wanted something more than I knew, and I will need to think about that. "Not uncommonly, when I bring this kind of consciousness to unwanted feelings--envy, or rage, or fear, or sadness, or some other discomfiting emotion--such feelings often melt and give way. But even if they don't without more self-work, this is where I begin; I cannot evolve out of my unwanted feelings if I cannot accept having them. I cannot leave a place I have never been..." A Woman's Self-Esteem pages 19-20 "...Someone asks us a question, challenges us in some way, or criticizes something we have done. To stave off painful feelings that erupt within us, such as embarrassment or anxiety, we respond by alienating, rationalizing, counterattacking, or otherwise avoiding the issue that has been raised. We react defensively. In such cases our primary concern is not, What is the truth of this situation? but rather, How can I spare myself discomfort? "When we respond this way, self-esteem suffers, because what we are ultimately avoiding are facts of reality. "There is an intimate relationship between self-esteem and a respect for facts. Women and men of healthy self-esteem do not make themselves adversaries of truth. Rather, their strength lies in the knowledge that their aim is always to ally themselves with what is--with reality--as best they are given to understand it. They operate mindfully, responsibly, and authentically. This is the secret of their power..." A Woman's Self-Esteem pages 87-88 [from the hardbound edition] Read more excerpts from this book on the Amazon.com website: A Woman's Self-Esteem: Struggles and Triumphs in the Search for Identity
	Purchasing A Woman's Self-Esteem
	Nathaniel Branden's book A Woman's Self-Esteem Struggles and Triumphs in the Search for Identity may be purchased through Amazon.com.
	Other Books by Nathaniel Branden
	Learn more about these books also written by Nathaniel Branden: Self-Esteem at Work Nathaniel Branden's Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality Taking Responsibility : Self-Reliance and the Accountable Life The Art of Living Consciously : The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem Honoring the Self : The Psychology of Confidence and Respect Raise Your Self-Esteem
	Articles by Nathaniel Branden on the Web
	Nathaniel Branden has written several articles on self-esteem and self-improvement that are available on the Web. Click on the links below to read these articles: Answering Misconceptions about Self-Esteem Reflections on Happiness Passion and Soulfulness
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