"Can self-esteem cure our social ills and make our lives better? Or is the search for self-esteem a quest for something that doesn't really exist or whose potential is far less than is believed?"--BOOK JACKET. "The Myth of Self-Esteem addresses these questions by describing and interpreting contemporary America's fascination with self-esteem. Working from a cultural and symbolic perspective, Hewitt presents the subject as a myth that mirrors our culture, producing a book that reaches across the disciplines - from sociology to communications, to schools in education, to individual and social psychology. The Myth of Self-Esteem provides a well-rounded examination of this phenomenon, urging readers to discover the contradiction and problems in the way we view ourselves and our world."--Jacket.