There are a great many people out there who for a variety of reasons, often mental, more often domestic, possess low self esteem.Having taught for more years than I care to mention and having sat in Courts for a decade, I am confident that what I write here is broadly accurate.
Those who do suffer from low self esteem tend to be amiable or withdrawn low-achievers.They can be taciturn, suspicious, often bullied and occasionally attention-seeking. Equally, they may shun attention. Some are pathetically grateful for the interest shown in them and to quote a former colleague, now a Head Teacher, may well have "parents you would not wish on a chimpanzee."
From a crime point of view, these may well turn into low grade offenders as they are often 'very easily led'. These kind of youngsters are easily identifiable when old enough to hit the adult courts.
So just why am I quibbling with the concept and describing it as a "myth" when I have just proved its very existence?
What I have just done is described the genuine examples. My problem is that every offender - especially if young - is seemingly branded with having 'low self esteem' and it is just one more excuse not to punish the seriously vile yobs - ironically the very people who frequently manipulate that low self esteem of the genuine group.
I speak of the arrogant, the swaggering, the couldn't-care-less,the greedy, the amoral, the self obsessed and sometimes the downright evil.
Toby Meredith is one such character in my novel. Such people are credited themselves with having low self esteem. This would be laughable were it not so deadly serious. No inferiority complexes there. A 'superiority complex' fuelled with hubris, perhaps. One more piece of rubbish thrown at Magistrates by unscrupulous defence solicitors.
This makes me angry as the genuine are marginalised and it is one more excuse for the others not to have to take responsibility for their actions.
Before anybody makes the point, I am certainly aware that there is some overlap between the two groups but this does not invalidate what is stated here.
It is probably only those who are genuine who will ever benefit from positive, community sentencing in our courts.
The other group will simply laugh when they see the non-existence of deterrence and retribution.
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-esteem
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