The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem [Paperback]

Mark Warner (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: December 11, 1998

You're no idiot, of course. You know there are moments when you have been creative, attractive, and even intelligent. But when it comes to sizing yourself up in the mirror, stepping onto a scale to get weighed, or socializing at a party full of extraverts, you feel like a wallflower that hasn't been watered in years. Don't just stand there with your head in the sand! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem shows you how to break through negativity, open yourself to risk and change, and move toward a richer and more integrated life. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You're no idiot, of course. You know there are moments when you have been creative, attractive, and even intelligent. But when it comes to sizing yourself up in the mirror, stepping onto a scale to get weighed, or socializing at a party full of extraverts, you feel like a wallflower that hasn't been watered in years. Don't just stand there with your head in the sand! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem shows you how to break through negativity, open yourself to risk and change, and move toward a richer and more integrated life. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1 edition (December 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028629302
• ISBN-13: 978-0028629308
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a Review of this book, July 31, 2002

By 

Junglies (Morrisville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem (Paperback)

I am always wary of books that begin with the accolade of 'The Complete Idiot's Guide' as it suggests that those who buy such books, are, indeed complete idiots.

Not believing myself to be in this category but being in search of ways to boost morale and productivity and teamwork I bought this book after having flicked through and found the contents to be short and well illustrated with anecdotes, humour and other such features to make this appealing to even the most reluctant readers.

This book certainly has all of those things and at a basic level it does a useful job in highlighting a number of features which help in enhancing self-esteem. The book is clearly well meaning but misses it's target by a long way.

My understanding of what this book is meant to be is as a self-study workbook. To some extent it is but really does not go far enough to help those who suffer from lack of self-esteem. Let me give one very crucial example. The author cites S.W.O.T. analysis, the first being Strengths, the second being weakness. The reader is asked to list his or her greatest strengths and serious weaknesses. However, there is no guidance given as to how someone should determine those, and, given that those who lack self-esteem do not feel good about themselves to begin with, they will find it hard to list strengths and will feel that they have more than three weaknesses.

The book does serve as an introduction to the problem and does point the way to some exercises that can be done to assist in enhancing self-esteem. For anyone serious about tackling this problem this is not the book for them.

...or of course I could just be a complete idiot and have missed the point of this book alltogether. Hmmm

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Total waste of time and money, December 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem (Paperback)

I was a Complete Idiot to buy this book! I read only three-fourths of this book before I had to put it away for good. As someone with very low self-esteem, I was hoping this book would help me feel less inferior around other people, help me gain a better body image, and help me to feel more confident speaking to a group of people. This book did nothing of the sort. Instead, it repeatedly stated the importance of volunteering for your community. Although volunteering is a wonderful thing to do, I don't think this sole action is what it takes to help a person with low self-esteem. Perhaps the author should have titled it "CIG to Community Volunteering." This book did nothing to help me improve my self-esteem.

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Enhancing? I think not., October 12, 2005

By 

R. Dahlstrom (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem (Paperback)

Shortly after reading this book, I found myself longing for a warm bath and some razor blades.