Starting in the 1960s, the self-esteem movement in the USA and elsewhere began in earnest. The idea behind this educational movement is pretty straightforward. If you foster self-esteem in students, self- confidence will naturally follow. When people are more confident, they tend to excel better in life. This has been the accepted gospel in education policy for going on fifty years now.

The thinking is pretty straightforward. It's simply elegant, actually, since self-confidence involves one's attitude about one's ability to get things done. When people have a high opinion of themselves, confidence should naturally flow, right? Not quite.