Insecurity and Self-confidence: The Interrelationship

Ahmad Shahab

bseds22048

Expository Writing 3

Ms. Fatima Hasan

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Information Technology University

Abstract:

Two aspects of human psychology have their importance in one’s everyday life,

insecurity and self-confidence. This research explores these two topics by establishing an

understanding of them and leveraging further research from it. It digs into scholarly articles and

researches in the field of psychology and some other disciplines and uses examples to propagate

its findings. There was much research on each of the topic discussed. This excess of material

made it possible to classify the findings into themes and develop an understanding of insecurity

form there. These findings discussed the causes and effects insecurity, transitioning into sefl-

efficacy and self-esteem. The causes had to have their effects, which were discussed theoretically

and practically. After that, self-confidence was brought into the picture and it was framed in the

context of fixing the problem of insecurity. The paper concluded by reflecting on its material

and further suggestions regarding the research

Introduction:

Insecurity and self-confidence are two major psychological aspects of humans. From

thoughts to social interactions, they drive much of our behaviour. To go in depth of how

insecurity and confidence are interrelated, a basic understanding of these concepts must be

acquired. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines insecurity as a feeling of

inadequacy, lack of self-confidence, and inability to cope, accompanied by general uncertainty

and anxiety about one’s goals, abilities, or relationships with others (APA, 2024). In contrast to

this, APA defines self-confidence as self-assurance: trust in one’s abilities, capacities, and
judgment (APA, 2024). It is evident that both of these concepts are two sides of the same coin,

one negates the other but also, the lack of one is a prerequisite for the excess of the other.

Methodology:

This research paper follows a qualitative methodology to examine the intricate relationship

between insecurity and self-assurance, emphasizing both the origins and consequences of this

relationship. It includes qualitative approaches, including theme analysis, interviews, and case

studies, to obtain a greater understanding of the intricate relationships among many

psychological features.

This research investigates the multiple origins of insecurity by examining a broad

spectrum of factors, ranging from personal encounters to worldwide consequences. It looks for

recurring themes and patterns that heighten people's emotions of unease through in-depth

analysis and thematic classification. Social interactions, cultural standards, societal demands, and

traumatic occurrences are some examples of these. Clarifying the various ways that insecurity

affects a person's degree of confidence is the study's main objective.

It investigates the ways that widespread emotions of insecurity might show up as

low self-esteem, self-doubt, and a reluctance to pursue objectives or make an effort in different

situations. Furthermore, the investigation seeks to identify plausible adaptive strategies utilized

by people to manage and alleviate the detrimental consequences of uncertainty on their self-

esteem.
Literature review:

Insecurity and self-confidence have been an interest of discussion from the times of

ancient Greek philosophers. Epictetus, Jean Paul Sarte and Friedrich Nietzsche are among the

philosophers who delved into this complex psychological web relating to individuality, stoicism,

existentialism and freedom. Since then, much research has cultivated in this regard. Although the

interrelationship between security and self-confidence has been touched seldom, both these

concepts have been individually researched upon in great depth.

Philosophically, confidence or self-confidence is deeply rooted to the existence and

actions of humans. Confidence may be related to a person, including oneself, and in this sense

we speak of self-confidence; or it may be related to another person, either in the singular or in

the plural, or even perhaps to the course of events at large, to history, to the cosmos, to God etc.

It is in this sense that confidence is the opposite of or contradictory to fear. And Aristotle indeed

placed the brave man between the two poles of fear and confidence. The man who exceeds in

confidence is rash, and he who exceeds in fear and falls short in confidence is a coward (On

Confidence on JSTOR, 2024).

Self-confidence has often been transitioned into self-efficacy and self-esteem, which is

essentially the belief in one’s ability to do things, while self-esteem being the perception of value

of the self. This back-and-forth pendulum motion-esque interconnection will be a point of

discussion in this paper. This dynamic is present in the relatively modern literature as well.

Global self-esteem is defined as a "positive or negative attitude toward a particular object,

namely, the self' (Rosenberg 1965:30) and is thus conceived as a unidimensional construct

incorporating positive and negative self-evaluations in a single measure. When self-esteem is

high, one has self-respect and feels worthwhile, while acknowledging personal faults and short-

comings. When it is low, one's perceived weak-nesses predominate, and one sees oneself as a

seriously deficient person who is inadequate and unworthy (Rosenberg 1979:54) (Two

Dimensions of Self-Esteem: Reciprocal Effects of Positive Self-Worth and Self-Deprecation on

Adolescent Problems on JSTOR, 2024).

The literature on insecurity is more catered towards economical and sociological

disciplines. There is scarce material on the actual self-centered insecurity. Insecurity is a feeling

of uncertainty, a lack of confidence or anxiety about oneself. Feelings of insecurity can be

defined as emotional instability, feeling of rejection, inferiority, anxiety isolation, jealousy,

hostility, irritability in consisting and tendency to accept the worst general permission or

unhappy. Maslow et al. (1945) identified psychological insecurity is the contrasting feeling of

expecting risk or danger to oneself. Therefore, insecurity is an inner feeling of being threatened

and inadequate in some way (Biplob Kumar Dey et al., 2018).

Findings:

The research about insecurity suggests a flow of themes and concepts, arranged on

after the other. This flow comes into existence with the cause(s) of insecurity. The reoccurring

theme circulating around the cause is absence of things, whether tangible or intangible. An

example is the insecurity in relationships. This type usually stems from an early age. Referring
to the theme of “absence”, an example can be inculcated to make the idea more accessible. A

child, merely of 9 years of age, has first-hand experiences of relationship turmoil of his parents.

The parents often fight and barely show any signs of love in the household. Eventually, their

relationship reaches a breaking point and they file for divorce, resulting in separation. One of the

parents gets the custody of their child and the other is mostly unavailable for the entirety of his

childhood. This traumatizing experience plants a seed of insecurity into the conscience of that

child. This insecurity evolves into attachment issues, where that child even when grown up, is

unable to comprehend let alone handle the loss of a close companion or partner. That loss

whether through death or leaving of someone, has even greater emotional distress on that person.

Another major cause of insecurity is unemployment, also known as job

insecurity. Job insecurity occurs when you are anxious about your continued employment or

about the continuation of certain benefits attached to your employment. It can be triggered by

anxiety over your own job performance or anxiety over factors beyond your control, such as the

economy, industry trends, workplace conflict, or the danger of company restructuring or failure

(WebMD Editorial Contributors, 2020).

Body insecurity is another cause of insecurity which begs to be discussed. It

stems from one’s perception of their own body or whether they have a positive or negative body

image. It begins when one begins to compare their own body with someone else’s. A constant

desire of attaining a certain attractive stature develops and seeps into the consciousness. This

desire then transforms into a feeling of something being absent from one’s self. The absence is

that of features of another person or persons, and is everlasting until the comparison is

terminated. There are several examples of this from which one is prevalent. In today’s society,
the media plays a key role in how people perceive themselves. Through TV, the internet,

magazines, and advertising, people are bombarded with images of unrealistic and unattainable

beauty standards.

These stylized and heavily edited pictures promote image and body ideals which

reaffirm that within our culture, for women, thin is beautiful, and for men, lean and muscular is

the ideal body shape. People who are non-binary or other genders may also feel pressure to be

thin and/or have no curves to fit a narrow stereotype of androgyny. It sends the message that if

you don’t fit these ideals, then you should be dissatisfied with your body (How to Deal with

Body Insecurity | Improve & Overcome, 2024).

Effects:

Insecurity or lack of self-confidence is a condition that if not addressed, leads to

detrimental effects on personal as well as social life. One of those effects is the imposter

syndrome. Not believing in one’s abilities is the core of lack of self-confidence. This connection

is well articulated by Audrey Ruple.

Imposter syndrome, also known as imposter phenomenon, affects high-achieving

individuals. This manifests as a pattern of beliefs that result in them feeling they are less

competent than others perceive them to be, despite the measurable success that has been

determined by external standards. In fact, they often attribute their success to luck or good timing

rather than to their own abilities and intelligence. This can cause them to believe their success is

not really theirs, and therefore results in them feeling they are a fraud and they do not belong.

Individuals who experience imposter syndrome do not have a psychological disorder, but these
beliefs can cause psychological distress. People affected by imposter syndrome may experience

generalized anxiety, lack of self-confidence, depression, perfectionism, cynicism,

depersonalization, and burnout. Many clinicians have reported feeling paralyzed, which

interfered with their ability to make decisions or ask for opportunities or promotions and

ultimately led to meaningful career setbacks. Ironically, the more successful

an individual becomes, the more symptoms of imposter syndrome they may experience.

However, their external appearance of success may also decrease the likelihood that others will

identify their distress, and those suffering from imposter syndrome often do so alone (Ruple,

2020).

It is evident from the article that imposter syndrome and lack of confidence are

causing agents for each other. The negligible lack of belief in one’s self leads to mental disorders.

The desire to comply with the standards of the society only proves destructive in the long run.

The more this desire is chased, the more setbacks are inevitable in the process. It is a fallacy

disguised as an achievement adorned with appraisals and complements, affecting no one but the

person who falls victim to it.

Study about low self-esteem gives rise to a theory known as depressive realism.

According to this theory, people with depression are more likely to assess situations accurately

than those who are not depressed. This theory was developed by Lauren Alloy and Lynn Yvonne

in the 1970s. Alloy and Abramson based their theory on evidence from a contingency learning

study. The study showed that participants who were mildly depressed were significantly more

accurate in judging how much control they had over the appearance of a green light when they

pushed a button than participants without depression (Zorzan, 2022). While this theory suggests
the stability of mind even in depression, this stability is more likely to be a self-destructive time

bomb. A critique on this is that people in depression have lower functioning bodies than normal.

Any kind of adversity that comes their way only supports that suffocating pressure. So this

theory while supporting depression in terms of the functioning of the mind, it demands an

excruciatingly specific situation to be applicable.

Alleviating the Issue:

Insecurity, lack of self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, all of these are in general

the same thing. They are psychological and need to be addressed with due responsibility and

awareness. There are certain methods by which self-confidence can be replenished, the first one

being acceptance.

Accepting one’s shortcomings and set backs is crucial in dealing with this issue.

Recognizing the problem should be preceded by acknowledging it and embracing the practicality

of it. Rosemary Ricciardelli and Kimberley Clow conducted a study regarding the role of self-

esteem and comfort with the body. Most participants against cosmetic surgery stated reasons

related to the importance of being happy with and accepting one’s “natural” body. This category

was composed of thirteen responses. Respondents here advocated that people should appreciate

what they already have. For ex-ample, respondents stated that “we were born the way we’re

meant to be and we should accept ourselves and others the way we are,” “natural is beautiful,

honestly” and “people should be happy with who they are and what they look like.” (Men,

Appearance, and Cosmetic Surgery: The Role of Self-Esteem and Comfort with the Body on

JSTOR, 2024).

Another thing is clear communication. Listening to another person without any

judgments about one’s self is key in this regard. This keeps the mind at peace and furthermore,

no taking anything personally gives one the space to comprehend the conversation itself.

Conclusion:

Everyone has some sort of insecurity, whether it be of body, job or relationships.

Accepting it is the first step, then working towards it should be the goal. It is not possible to

completely omit insecurity out of one’s life but it can decreased-down to such low extent that it

has negligible effect on one’s everyday life. As insecurity boils-down, self-confidence increases

and there are much less things to worry about in life. There is ample material on their study, but

there is room for further research, such as behavioural changes can be further looked into for

detailed in-depth analysis of this dichotomy.

References:

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WebMD Editorial Contributors. (2020, January 19). Signs of Insecurity. WebMD; WebMD.

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-insecurity

How to Deal with Body Insecurity | Improve & Overcome. (2024). Withinhealth.com.

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%20you%20have%20a,in%20the%20company%20of%20others.

Ruple, A. (2020). Overcoming imposter syndrome. American Association of Bovine

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Zorzan, N. (2022, September 29). Depressive realism: Does it exist? Medicalnewstoday.com;

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