Understand how you see and value yourself
Explore confidence, self-criticism, approval, perfectionism, comparison and the beliefs that influence how you feel about yourself.
Inner Thought Group explores self-esteem through the everyday patterns that shape how people judge themselves, respond to mistakes and measure their own worth.
Self-esteem is not the same as always feeling confident
You can appear confident and still be highly self-critical. You can trust yourself in one part of life while doubting yourself in another. You can know that you are capable and still worry about how other people see you.
Self-esteem can involve several patterns at once: how you speak to yourself, how much reassurance you need, how you respond to mistakes and whether your sense of worth depends heavily on approval or achievement.
Looking at those patterns separately can often be more useful than trying to decide whether you simply have “high” or “low” self-esteem.
Explore questions about confidence and self-worth
Choose from the self-esteem assessments currently available in the Inner Thought Group library.
Am I a Perfectionist?
Perfectionism is not simply caring about doing things well. It can also involve fear of mistakes, difficulty accepting 'good enough', overchecking, delaying action and tying self-worth too closely to performance.…
Take the assessmentAm I Too Hard on Myself?
Being self-critical can sometimes help you notice mistakes and improve, but it can also become harsh, repetitive or difficult to switch off. This assessment explores several patterns that can make…
Take the assessmentDo I Have Low Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is not the same as feeling confident all the time. This assessment explores self-worth, self-criticism, reliance on approval, comparison with others and how stable your confidence feels across different…
Take the assessmentWhy Am I Afraid of Failure?
Fear of failure can involve more than simply wanting a good result. It may be tied to self-worth, perfectionism, judgement, uncertainty, avoidance or doubts about recovering after a setback. This…
Take the assessmentWhy Am I Afraid of Success?
Success is usually described as something everyone should want, but positive opportunities can also bring visibility, pressure, responsibility and change. This assessment explores whether those costs may be contributing to…
Take the assessmentWhy Do I Compare Myself to Others?
Comparing yourself with other people is normal, but for some people it becomes a repeated way of deciding whether they are doing well enough. This assessment looks at achievement comparison,…
Take the assessmentWhy Do I Feel Like a Failure?
Feeling like a failure can be much broader than having experienced a setback. Sometimes the mind turns outcomes, comparisons or mistakes into a judgement about the whole self. This assessment…
Take the assessmentWhy Do I Feel Like I'm Not Doing Enough?
Feeling as though you are never doing enough can involve high standards, comparison, difficulty recognising completed effort, pressure to be productive, shifting goals or linking your worth to what you…
Take the assessmentWhy Do I Feel Worthless?
Feeling worthless is a painful self-judgement, not an objective measure of your value. This assessment explores whether the feeling is being reinforced by global self-judgement, usefulness, comparison, shame, difficulty seeing…
Take the assessmentWhat can influence self-esteem?
Self-esteem is often shaped by the way you speak to yourself, the standards you set, how much approval matters and the comparisons you make.
Self-talk
The way you speak to yourself after mistakes, setbacks, criticism or moments when you feel uncertain.
Approval
How strongly praise, criticism, rejection or reassurance from other people affects the way you see yourself.
Achievement
Whether you feel valuable in yourself or mainly when you are succeeding, productive or meeting expectations.
Comparison
How often you measure yourself against other people and whether those comparisons change how you judge yourself.
Notice how you tend to judge yourself
Sometimes the most useful starting point is not a label, but a question you recognise from your own inner dialogue.
Am I much harder on myself than I am on other people?
How much does other people’s approval change how I feel about myself?
Do mistakes feel like evidence that I am not good enough?
Do I struggle to accept “good enough” from myself?
Do other people’s successes make me question my own progress?
Do I talk myself out of opportunities before I have even tried?
You can feel secure in one part of life and uncertain in another
Confidence is not necessarily one trait that you either have or do not have. Someone may trust their abilities at work while feeling much less certain in relationships, social situations or unfamiliar environments.
Looking at where your confidence changes can often tell you more than simply asking whether you are a confident person overall.
Self-esteem tools are for reflection
Future Inner Thought Group self-esteem assessments will be intended to help people notice patterns in how they think about themselves. They will not be clinical tests and will not determine anyone’s worth, ability or potential.
Persistent feelings of low self-worth can sometimes occur alongside wider difficulties or challenging life experiences. If these feelings are causing significant distress or affecting daily life, consider speaking with an appropriately qualified professional.
Explore a question that is available now
Browse our current assessments covering relationships, overthinking, people-pleasing and emotional availability.