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Zack Dirmeyer

2/26/19

ENG 102

Randsell

The Guide To Achieving Self-Esteem And Willpower

The human race is capable of phenomenal feats that all stem from an inner drive. That

“inner drive” can be found in various different ways, whether that may be a small encouraging

voice or a shudder of anxiety. Regardless of the way the innate drive of people is delivered, those

who act on it typically have grandiose result with their overall willpower and self-esteem. The

quest to achieve true and undeniable willpower and self-esteem comes with great hurdles about

discovering who you are as a person; however, psychologist Roy F. Baumeister believes there is

a more simplistic approach to achieving your greatest self. To understand Baumeister’s approach

the understanding of why willpower and self-esteem are an inseparable duo that stem from an

important inner drive- self-control, which stems from biological processes, morality and social

norms, and self-awareness. Baumeister’s approach to understanding how to achieve self-esteem

and willpower truly resonates with me due to my personal experiences from accepting who I am,

and what I represent.

Willpower and Self-Esteem operate based off the functions of each other. Willpower can

be depicted as a control to do something or restrain impulses, which is detrimental to creating a

high sense of self-esteem. Self-esteem simply stated is the confidence in one’s own self, which is

unable to be obtained if someone lacks poor self-control or the willpower to secure the respect

for one’s self. For Example, to have the motivation to go to the gym, and execute that action, will

not only create willpower for a person, but also a high self-confidence that you can accomplish
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goals successfully. Essentially, if you obtain either strong willpower or high self-esteem, you

will possess both traits, due to both of them being needed to have one or the other.

Self-Control spawns deliberate actions that influence the strength of willpower and self-

esteem. Having a lack of self-control is directly proportional to unfortunate situations such as

addiction, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and poor mental health. These factors are

crucial variables to why some people have a lack of willpower and self-esteem, despite having

total control over their actions. In the year 2000, Roy F. Baumeister conducted a study by

utilizing a new trait scale that evaluated individual levels of self-control. What was discovered

was exactly what was predicted, which was: people who scored high in areas regarding self-

control were better equipped to receive higher GPA’s in college, fewer eating and mental

disorders, and finally better management of their emotions (Baumeister). These finding directly

correlate to willpower and self-esteem, because having a strong sense of self-control serves as

catalyst effect for the manifestation of a healthy mindset.

By creating your own success and having the awareness that it was due to your own self-

control, naturally a strong sense of willpower and self-esteem towards yourself and passions

would follow. Self-control serves as the foundation for achieving a true drive to not only better

the people around you but give you the confidence that you are capable of doing it.

Self-control acquires its functionality from the body’s innate regulation of glucose.

Glucose is what enables the brain to function properly, due to its metabolic functions when it

enters the bloodstream. Once glucose enters the bloodstream, the cerebral cortex of the brain

absorbs its nutritional benefits to carry out actions. When glucose levels are hindered, the

functionality of the cerebral cortex is greatly affected, causing symptoms of impaired

coordination, blurred vision, amnesia, bizarre behavior and personality change, confusion, and
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anxiety. (Benton, Brett, & Brain, 1987; Donohoe & Benton, 1999a; Fairclough & Houston,

2004; D. O. Kennedy & Scholey, 2000; Scholey, Harper, & Kennedy, 2001). Essentially when

the body loses its core fuel source that allows proper functionality, the brain makes impulsive

decisions to counteract the low level of sugars, perpetuating a lack of self-control. Glucose is a

primary biological substance that is needed to have total control over actions, and that can be

fulfilled by ensuring that enough sugar is being introduced within dietary habits. This can be

difficult for people who are out and about for majority of the day working, going to school, etc..,

which is why it is important to ensure enough food is consumed during the day for proper bodily

functions.

When Glucose levels are properly managed, the ability to conquer the control necessary

to obtaining willpower and self-esteem through self-control is accomplishable. Evidence has

proven that people who are affected by hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) are more susceptible to

impulsivity. When hypoglycemia is prevalent, men and women typically have an increase in

such as acting on the spur of the moment, lying, sexual promiscuity, arriving late to work,

behaving recklessly, being selfish, and exploiting others. (Svanborg, Mattila-Evenden,

Gustavsson, Uvnäs-Moberg, & Åsberg, 2000). What is shown is that a lack of glucose regulation

within the body leads to a lack of self-control. The actions listed above that are associated with

low-blood sugar are commonly tied to the absence of willpower and self-esteem. Without self-

control, willpower and self-esteem fall down a blackhole of wrong decisions. However, this can

be avoided by proper intake of glucose that efficiently fuels the body to help aid the decision-

making process, ultimately creating a strong sense of self-control.

Self-control is also crafted by social norms and morality established by society. Morality

can simply be defined as a set of rules that all people follow regardless of their political or
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economic affiliation. In western culture, morality is predominately based of off the Seven Deadly

Sins (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth). All of these can be attributed to a lack

of self-control, hence a low sense of self-control and willpower. Each of these irredeemable

“sins” are social cues that interrupt social harmony but could very easily be avoided with a

strong sense of self-control. Lust for example is typically associated with sexual promiscuity and

infidelity both caused by a lack of self-control. However, when unwanted impulses are avoided,

the ostracization by society is also nonexistent. What can be inferred from these findings is that

morality and social norms have a strong bearing on self-control because people do want to avoid

the natural ostracization that comes from violating the moral code.

High self-control is typically reported in actions of virtue and other instances of societal

praise. A common virtue that is commonly regarded as “virtuous” is fortitude. Fortitude is the

ability to which is understood as being firm and resolute in the face of passion, suffering, and

misfortune. (Baumeister). Self-control plays a huge role in achieving fortitude because it takes

deliberate actions to remain virtuous in times of adversity. The core argument is that many

socially problematic behaviors involve self-control failures, whereas the majority of positive

virtues are based on high and effective self-control (Baumeister). Having a strong sense of self-

control within the morality set by social standards will ultimately allow people to live fruitful,

happy lives due to their actions, rather than be affected by societal prejudice from breaking the

moral code.

Self-awareness is crucial to obtaining the self-control necessary to achieving true

willpower and self-esteem. Baumeister argues that the difference between self-esteem and self-

control is one of just opinion, and raising self-esteem often entails embracing style versus

substance, of image versus reality. Self-esteem is a more flattering view of an unimproved self
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(Baumeister, 2000). Essentially what Baumeister is trying to convey is that self-esteem is a mere

façade without proper self-control. Having the self-awareness that you are capable of creating the

self-esteem you desire merely by your actions is prudent to his argument.

In a study conducted in the late 1970’s scientist utilized a questioner survey to college

students asking them about their self-esteem and their GPA (Wylie, 1979). What was found was

students with high GPA’s tend to have higher self-esteem, however that’s just the tip of the

iceberg. Students who achieved high GPA’s also committed to their schooling by completing

their homework, going to class, and studying for exams. This is all contributed to a high sense of

self-control, because without it their GPA would have been hindered, also hindering their self-

esteem. Self-control allows people to create their own view of themselves, and in turn having the

awareness that you are capable of creating how you feel, would theoretically cause people to

improve how they control their impulses and thoughts.

I have a strong personal connection to Baumeister’s approach to understanding how to

achieve a strong sense of Self-esteem and willpower through regulation of self-control. Before I

was publicly out as gay, I struggled with self-esteem and obtaining the willpower to be the

person I wanted to be. I fell victim to not eating, which disrupted my glucose levels, many

unvirtuous actions such as drinking and sexual promiscuity, and not having any self-awareness

on what my actions were doing to me as a person. My insecurities shrouded who I was as a

person, and most of all, my self-control, which until this point in my life was one of my strongest

attributes.

Unfortunately, I had to face the consequences of my destructive actions before I could

make strides to better my self-control. I was suspended from school for an alcohol violation and I

also was struggling with my sexuality and identity. I would refuse to move for days, just out of
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frustration of my actions, until I refused to be a victim. Unbeknownst to me, I began making

strides to better my self-control. After I accepted my sexuality by coming out to my parents

which is was met with warmth and acceptance, I began eating and improving my dietary

conditions, which gave me energy to work towards goals important to me, such as going to

college. After I made immense progress to becoming physically healthy again, I fought to

receive my virtuous traits back, abandoning my alcoholic tendencies and anger towards myself

and others for something out of my control. This ultimately led to my great sense of self-

awareness I’m now proud to say I’ve obtained. I know now, that regardless of how I and the

people around me felt about my sexual orientation, I am capable of doing anything I want, thus

restoring my self-control. I did not know until researching about self-esteem and willpower that I

did these steps to achieve those qualities, through the restoration of my self-control. I am

immensely proud of myself currently and would advocate to anyone struggling with something

to try to work on their self-control, because they will be pleased by the outcome.

In conclusion, self-esteem and willpower are directly correlated to a high sense of self-

control. This can be achieved in various different ways such as regulating dietary conditions,

understanding social norms, and having the self-awareness that you are capable of manifesting

anything you desire. My personal belief in this theory is perpetuated by my unintentional actions

that paralleled the research Baumeister conducted to ultimately better myself. Self-control not

only makes you feel powerful due to the undeniable willpower and confidence that comes with

it, but you are able to grow as a person. Self-Control serves as a catalyst effect for achieving

transcendence within your personal life and within society. With this information, I hope readers

can utilize willpower and self-esteem to avoid hitting rock bottom, and conqueror their best

selves.
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Works Cited

Baumeister, R.F. , Bratslavsky, E. , Muraven, M. , & Tice, D.M. (1998). Self-control depletion:

Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74,

1252-1265.

Baumeister (2002) Ego Depletion and Self-Control Failure: An Energy Model of the Self's

Executive Function, Self and Identity, 1:2, 129-136, DOI: 10.1080/152988602317319302

Baumeister, Roy F., and Julie Juola Exline. “Virtue, Personality, and Social Relations: Self‐

Control as the Moral Muscle.” The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Wiley-

Blackwell, 25 Dec. 2001, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-6494.00086.

Baumeister, R.F. , Schmeichel, B.J. , & Vohs, K.D. (in press). Self-regulation. In E. T. Higgins

& A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles.

Benton, D. (1990). The impact of increasing blood glucose on psychological functioning.

Biological Psychology, 30, 13-19

Benton, D. , Brett, V. , & Brain, P.F. (1987). Glucose improves attention and reaction to

frustration in children. Biological Psychology, 24, 95-100.