Without enough positive self-regard

Diana, Princess of Wales was noted for her pioneering charity work for AIDS and landmines. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, among many others, considered her “an exceptional and gifted human being.”

But biographer Simone Simmons, also a friend and confidante, says she was “one of the most insecure people I had ever met… On the surface, of course, she appeared to have everything going for her. But, like a number of other well-known and successful women who find themselves in the harsh glare of the public limelight, that wasn’t enough.”

Princess Diana is among a number of talented people who have experienced high levels of anxiety and self criticism, and used self-injury to deal with painful feelings - including Fiona Apple, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Christina Ricci, Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp.

In her article Discovering the Gifted Ex-Child, Stephanie S. Tolan says, “Even when the individual is able to use her gifts to achieve undeniable career success, she may feel and appear seriously out of step.

“Barbra Streisand [left], for instance, whose abilities are not only obvious and far from norms but also wide-ranging, is criticized for perfectionism, for demanding too much from those she works with. Her well-known discomfort with public performance may come in part from the seemingly paradoxical self-esteem problems that often come with extraordinary gifts.”

> related article Being Creative and Self-critical - by Douglas Eby

Posted by Douglas Eby in Identity / Self concept | | 05.13.06 | Share This