I think what Rabbi Dr. Twerski is saying is true in a general sense. The fact that a person has a soul given by Hashem makes him or her feel valuable. However, in my opinion, a large part of self esteem is how a person is unique and can uniquely contribute to the world. Everyone has a soul and everyone Jewish has an extra soul. When a person feels special, that Hashem gave them special talents and abilities, then they feel worthwhile. When people receive validation from others for their talents and abilities, it raises their self esteems. (I’m not saying this is a good thing – because after all, you didn’t give yourself talents – they were given to you by Hashem – you were just born with them.)So self esteem is partly external, but true and strong self esteem is internal.
