19 JANUARY 1991, Page 17

A DICTIONARY OF CANT

SELF-ESTEEM. The cant is a cant of omission. A 'self-esteem problem' is used exclusively to mean a person's sense of worthlessness, and irrational rejection of his true worth. Yet many people with this 'low self-esteem' have a point, in that they really are worthless. Many more have an unwarranted store of self-esteem, which is a self-esteem problem for their acquaintances more than for themselves.

Nigel Burke