What makes Nathaniel Branden more interesting to me than his works in psychology and his writings on self-esteem is his romantic affair with Ayn Rand in the 1960s, at which time he heavily promoted her theories of objectivism and the value of selfishness. I was skeptical of Branden's work in part because of my aversion to Rand, but I was able to evaluate the work for what it was -- an attempt to define the concept of self-esteem and discuss how this can be shaped and nurtured. For me, this work did not offer anything new, but there were a few things I found interesting, the first a concept tied somewhat to the philosophy of Aristotle, Hegel and De Beauvoir, that people are continually unfolding and realizing new potentials:
"[W]e need to remember that the self is not a static, finished entity, but a continually evolving creating, an unfolding of our potentialities, expressed in our choices, decisions, thoughts, judgments, responses, and actions. To view ourselves as basically and unalterably good or bad . . . is to negate the facts of freedom, self-determination, and self-responsibility. We always contain within ourselves the possibility of change. We need never be the prisoner of yesterday's choices."
The idea is not new, but it was a pleasant reminder.
Second, I found Chapter 5, "The Power of Self-Esteem in the Workplace" to be a useful and practical chapter, which can apply not only to workplace dynamics but to classroom dynamics as well. This served as a good reminder for me, as an educator, of the importance of nurturing self-esteem and, relatedly, potential in my students.
Third, I was pleased that Branden recognized that job-related stresses have become greater in the move from "a manufacturing society to an information society," but I feel that he downplays many sociological forces in his work, focusing instead solely on psychological factors. Despite some flaws, I prefer the psychology of Freud and the Freudians in the sense that they do acknowledge more the interplay between the two.
And finally, I found it both distasteful and humorous that Branden writes repeatedly throughout that self-esteem is about valuing who one is, and not about making oneself seem better than others ("People with high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves up against a comparative standard. Their joy is in being who they are, not in being better than someone else"), and yet the book's cover (perhaps this was not his doing, but part of the publisher's marketing gimmicks)says "Nathaniel Branden has done more than anyone to awaken America's consciousness to the importance of self-esteem." It seems a bit hypocritical. And, I would have to read some of his other books before making an informed decision, but based on what I have read so far, I think that this cover claim is a stretch of the truth.
The work has some merits -- a good attempt to define what self-esteem is, why it is important, how it is developed/nurtured and how it applies to the workplace -- but nothing profound should be expected. A good introductory work, perhaps, but nothing significant is offered from either a theoretical or a practical standpoint.