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A small degree of self-doubt can motivate people to try harder and do better.

Self-doubt spreads into too many aspects of a person’s life.

People riddled with self-doubt have a hard time respecting themselves.

Small achievements start to tip the balance toward self-respect.

A little self-doubt may be appropriate and useful in our daily lives. I may doubt my ability to finish a big project by tomorrow in part because I question my own interest in it. A bit of self-doubt may act as a catalyst to be more careful, exert more effort, work more efficiently, and change my motivation.

A bit of self-doubt may help us avoid getting too big for our britches. If I assume that I know everything about what needs to happen at a meeting and I am wrong, my mistake could embarrass me and inconvenience others. Appropriate self-doubt can be a first cousin to humility, which keeps us from overestimating our knowledge, abilities, and achievements.

A little bit of appropriate self-doubt can go a long way.

Self-doubt spreads quickly and indiscriminately. This is especially true for people who struggle with addiction or who have suffered trauma in childhood. Whatever positive role self-doubt plays is more than neutralized;........

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