Locus of Evaluation and Mindfulness: a recipe for increasing
self-esteem.
In this piece, I want to look at the relationship between Locus of
Evaluation, Self- Esteem and Mindfulness. I will present something about Locus
of Evaluation (LoE) and something about Mindfulness, followed by a way of
bringing them together, meaningfully. I
am not sure if this correlation exists already.
Locus of
Evaluation (LoE), was posited by Carl Rogers in the 1950’s and is one of a
series of ideas that formed a Person Centred Approach to therapy. It helps us
to understand that where we look for our conditions of worth can affect self-confidence
and self-esteem and general mental health. Rogers (1951) defined the locus of
evaluation as ‘the extent to which [one’s] values and standards depend upon the
judgements and expectations of others, or are based on a reliance upon [one’s]
own experience’ (p.156)
Albert
Ellis (2000) from a Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy stance supports this
view when he stated that, ‘Emotional disturbance is frequently
associated with caring too much about what others think.’ (p176). He presents a
more assertive view than Rogers.
When we
spend time and energy; wondering what to wear, being uncertain how to behave,
wondering what others might think of you, valuing others opinions above your
own, depending on others for advice, being embarrassed when you make a mistake our
LoE is likely to be external. On the other hand when we spend time and energy;
standing our ground even when someone disagrees with us, relying on our own
advice, openly admitting a mistake, we can be happy with ourselves irrespective
of what others might say, then our LoE is likely to be internal.
The
question that arises is how we might begin to shift locus of evaluation from
external to internal, particularly if it is going to lead to higher self-esteem
and confidence. In my experience Mindfulness is one of the most accessible ways
of creating this change in focus.
Mindfulness
is a Buddhist practice and
means ‘Awareness.’ It is a simple idea that can have immediate results if practised regularly. Many forms of therapy today include Mindfulness as a means
of taking greater control over our decision-making. Mindfulness is portable and
can be practised daily whilst walking, running, in the office, at home, on the
train and so on.
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention
to ourselves in the here and now and encourages us to become aware of our
internal states of being; thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations as well as our
current surroundings. We are encouraged to receive these experiences gently and
non-judgementally. As a result, we may make informed and intentional decisions
in life.
Practising Mindfulness over time can begin to move
our locus of evaluation from a reliance on other people (external locus of
evaluation) to a greater reliance on our own judgement of what is right for us
(internal locus of evaluation) Research indicates that internal locus of evaluation
leads to better mental health, happiness and self-esteem.
In most situations we can take a moment to: stop; check in with how we feel and think and capture what we are experiencing internally. What we hear from ourselves and what we experience can help us to make decisions that can lead to increased self-esteem and greater confidence. It is not easy to do and takes practice, but over time it can become second nature.
I am often asked if it doesn't lead to selfishness and in my experience it won't. We will not easily lose our ability to consider others, nor should we, but to add a moments self reflection will offer greater intentional choices and confidence.
I suggest that the key is practice and I have added some resources below to guide that practice and also to explore journalling which can be a useful tool when beginning to take account of our internal locus of evaluation. There a lot more on the web, so look around.
Rogers, C. R. (1951) Client Centred
Therapy. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co.
- Here are some links to mindful meditation audio
downloads.
- This is a link to the free Mindfulness book,
Mindfulness in Plain English.
- Keep a feeling diary or journal of feelings
and emotions. Here’s a bit of motivation from the Guardian
- This is a link to Wikihow and is a general
guide if you haven’t kept a journal before. Take what you want from it and
ditch the rest.
Locus of Evaluation and Mindfulness: a recipe for increasing self-esteem.
In this piece, I want to look at the relationship between Locus of
Evaluation, Self- Esteem and Mindfulness. I will present something about Locus
of Evaluation (LoE) and something about Mindfulness, followed by a way of
bringing them together, meaningfully. I
am not sure if this correlation exists already.
Locus of
Evaluation (LoE), was posited by Carl Rogers in the 1950’s and is one of a
series of ideas that formed a Person Centred Approach to therapy. It helps us
to understand that where we look for our conditions of worth can affect self-confidence
and self-esteem and general mental health. Rogers (1951) defined the locus of
evaluation as ‘the extent to which [one’s] values and standards depend upon the
judgements and expectations of others, or are based on a reliance upon [one’s]
own experience’ (p.156)
Albert
Ellis (2000) from a Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy stance supports this
view when he stated that, ‘Emotional disturbance is frequently
associated with caring too much about what others think.’ (p176). He presents a
more assertive view than Rogers.
When we
spend time and energy; wondering what to wear, being uncertain how to behave,
wondering what others might think of you, valuing others opinions above your
own, depending on others for advice, being embarrassed when you make a mistake our
LoE is likely to be external. On the other hand when we spend time and energy;
standing our ground even when someone disagrees with us, relying on our own
advice, openly admitting a mistake, we can be happy with ourselves irrespective
of what others might say, then our LoE is likely to be internal.
The
question that arises is how we might begin to shift locus of evaluation from
external to internal, particularly if it is going to lead to higher self-esteem
and confidence. In my experience Mindfulness is one of the most accessible ways
of creating this change in focus.
Mindfulness
is a Buddhist practice and
means ‘Awareness.’ It is a simple idea that can have immediate results if practised regularly. Many forms of therapy today include Mindfulness as a means
of taking greater control over our decision-making. Mindfulness is portable and
can be practised daily whilst walking, running, in the office, at home, on the
train and so on.
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention
to ourselves in the here and now and encourages us to become aware of our
internal states of being; thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations as well as our
current surroundings. We are encouraged to receive these experiences gently and
non-judgementally. As a result, we may make informed and intentional decisions
in life.
Practising Mindfulness over time can begin to move
our locus of evaluation from a reliance on other people (external locus of
evaluation) to a greater reliance on our own judgement of what is right for us
(internal locus of evaluation) Research indicates that internal locus of evaluation
leads to better mental health, happiness and self-esteem.
In most situations we can take a moment to: stop; check in with how we feel and think and capture what we are experiencing internally. What we hear from ourselves and what we experience can help us to make decisions that can lead to increased self-esteem and greater confidence. It is not easy to do and takes practice, but over time it can become second nature.
I am often asked if it doesn't lead to selfishness and in my experience it won't. We will not easily lose our ability to consider others, nor should we, but to add a moments self reflection will offer greater intentional choices and confidence.
I suggest that the key is practice and I have added some resources below to guide that practice and also to explore journalling which can be a useful tool when beginning to take account of our internal locus of evaluation. There a lot more on the web, so look around.
I am often asked if it doesn't lead to selfishness and in my experience it won't. We will not easily lose our ability to consider others, nor should we, but to add a moments self reflection will offer greater intentional choices and confidence.
I suggest that the key is practice and I have added some resources below to guide that practice and also to explore journalling which can be a useful tool when beginning to take account of our internal locus of evaluation. There a lot more on the web, so look around.
Rogers, C. R. (1951) Client Centred
Therapy. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co.
Ellis, A. (2000) Rational emotive
behaviour therapy. In R. J. Corsini & D. Wedding (Eds.), Current
psychotherapies (6th ed., pp. 168-204). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
- Here are some links to mindful meditation audio downloads.
- This is a link to the free Mindfulness book, Mindfulness in Plain English.
- Keep a feeling diary or journal of feelings and emotions. Here’s a bit of motivation from the Guardian
- This is a link to Wikihow and is a general guide if you haven’t kept a journal before. Take what you want from it and ditch the rest.
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