Low self esteem contributes to a wide range of social problems including alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, crime, child abuse, chronic welfare dependency and poor educational performance.
Virtually every social problem we face can be traced to lack of self-love. Present-day people do not affirm themselves and therefore cannot genuinely affirm others. The most affirmative stance they can take toward another's interior gifts or exterior good fortune is jealousy or cynicism. Dis-affirmation of self comes partially out of severance from the past. Because of this people cannot see their historical worth or build an adequate self image or self story. They thrust a pseudo-self at others and, in so doing, do not participate in genuine relations with them.