I disagree that my generation gets its high self-esteem, or "vanity", from uncritical parenting (28 April, p 44). If there is a cause, I think it lies more in the increased charitable volunteering of this group that psychologist Jeffrey Arnett highlighted.
Maybe my generation's thought and care for others is the cause of our high self-esteem. In that case, is it really such a bad thing?
From Valerie Yule
Your article on self-esteem reminded me of when I worked as a psychologist at a "progressive" school, where children were not shown art that was better than any they could make because it might result in them feeling inferior.
The children all drew alike - if one discovered how to draw a feather in a hat, they all drew feathers in hats. "No matter what I do, they say it's wonderful," one child said.
But children at a nearby disadvantaged ...
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