Low Self-esteem or Threatened Egotism

A longstanding misconception about extremism is that it stems from low self-esteem. This concept, however, is a flawed one, as it makes societies see political violence as a psychological problem, not the very forces that make it possible. It allows them to look upon the terrorist as a hurt child who turned into a monster, and a good therapist and some self-help books can cure him. However, a closer look debunks this theory since the issue is much more complicated and difficult to comprehend.

When researchers actually evaluate this “low self-esteem” theory, it continually fails. Roy Baumeister and his colleagues had been looking for a direct link between poor self-image and aggression more than 30 years ago. However, they couldn’t locate one. Rather, their results indicated an unexpected finding: people who do not feel good about themselves are more likely to react aggressively when they are insulted. Self-hatred is not the reason that this reaction happens, but actually a feeling of an attack on self-esteem, known as “threatened egotism.” Hence, violence usually emanates from those who think they are entitled to better treatment but are treated with disrespect.

This is not merely an academic debate. It is a question of life and death for many. In February 2026, the Afghan and Pakistani security forces fired across the border, killing many people and adding to tensions between the two countries. These tensions had existed for years before, especially since 2021, when the Taliban once again came to power, and they created an environment suitable for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan........

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