Where does low self esteem come from? (see full article on self esteem)
If a child lives with encouragement they learn how to be confident. If a child lives with criticism, they can become anxious and shy. If you have been ridiculed or ignored in your formative years, you can easily end up feeling shy and unimportant, with low self esteem. Equally you can develop a facade of confidence when underneath you may feel constantly fragile.
As parents we do the best we can, but if we weren’t dealt the cards ourselves such as value, praise, love, worth and patience, it’s hard to pass them on. If your parents, who will have done/be doing their best, were brought up in a limited, low self esteem environment, they will pass on what they learnt. They may not realise the damage they suffered or the damage they are passing on. full article.