Immune To Reality Daniel Gilbert Analysis

Self-esteem is how people value themselves; it affects every part of their lives. Positive self-esteem gives people confidence in whatever they do and prevents them from the hardships of rejection or failure. The psychological immune system intertwines with self-esteem by helping people cope with negative responses or outcomes. It allows people to make mistakes and learn from them and give them the ability to accept mistakes from others. In the readings, “Immune to Reality” by Daniel Gilbert, and “ An Army of One: Me” by Jean Twenge, both authors arrive at an agreement that living and facing reality defines a person’s emotions, character, and behavior. In today’s society, raising self-esteem is one of the main priorities schools want to enforce
Whether an outcome is positive or negative it helps a person take in reality. This helps them improve their self-esteem and allows them to understand that failure is an option, and that is okay. When children are young, it is okay to give them a sense of encouragement. However, when it becomes excessive, problems tend to arise as those children develop. When parents and teachers condition their children to be special for no apparent reason, it takes their reality away. Twenge approaches this idea by saying, ”[c]hildren develop true self-esteem from behaving well and accomplishing things” (772). People need to understand that their actions can help improve their self-esteem. When people actually do things, no matter if they failed or succeeded, specifically in the short-term, they should feel a sense of pride in which they tried and put in an effort. By giving someone compliments for doing absolutely nothing does give that person a true meaning of why they deserve that compliment. In relation to Twenge’s view that self-esteem is developed by actions, Gilbert states, “[f]or positive views to be credible, they must be based on facts that we believe we have come upon honestly” (135). Individuals value the reasoning behind the compliments they receive. So, if young students are being told every day that they are special, with no actual evidence that they are, then that is going to negatively shape them as they grow older. They are going to anticipate their complements, which will tentatively lead them to become narcissistic. People must earn their compliments and receive awards based on facts and reason. The results of this will let people cope with the real