Self-Traps: The Elusive Quest for Higher Self-Esteem

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Summary: Real Science not just Self-Help
Review: Swan is a professor at University of Texas in Austin. His book deals (in better detail then I've seen anywhere)with how we fail to gain self-esteem in the first place and how hard it is to learn it later. He doesn't offer a three point program for caring about yourself. In fact, his findings seem to say that people without self-esteem have had a hard life. He feels they develop a comfort zone that doesn't include good things or good people. He says this because that is what his research shows and research isn't a word that many self-help books ever use.

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Summary: Looks at societal influences that lead to self-sabotage
Review: This book helps the reader to understand how societal norms lead to self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. While most self-help books focus on individual behavior this book looks at a bigger picture. Great source for research.