Do you bite your thumb at me?

I have been thinking, of late, about the issue of self-esteem. I have formed a mild hypothesis that most of our troubles stem from having a poor one. I believe I have a decently high esteem of myself. I'm not sure how it was formed.... this intrigues me- especially because I am interested in my children having healthy feelings about themselves. How is it formed? Can it be taught? Nurtured? Will successes and achievements bring it? Praise? 
Not sure. I'd like to find out.


I've just started reading the book "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden.

As in, I am reading the intro.

It's a good intro. Here's a piece:
 
"Apart from disturbances whose roots are biological, I cannot think of a single psychological problem- from anxiety and depression, to under achievement at school or at work, to fear of intimacy, happiness, or success, to alcohol or drug abuse, to spouse battering or child molestation, to co-dependency and sexual disorders, to passivity and chronic aimlessness, to suicide and crimes of violence- that is not traceable, at least in part, to the problem of deficient self-esteem. Of all the judgements we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves."

I'm hoping for an enlightening read.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue.