Those who lack a fundamental sense of self-worth struggle with life experiences and challenges in ways that other, more secure people do not. 

Many of these struggles take up years of their life and tie them in knots as traumatic patterns repeat. 

Here’s the thing:

When somebody doesn’t believe in their fundamental value, they tend to search outside themselves for signs that they are valid and worthy. 

The problem is that no matter how much verification they get, that inner critic insisting they have low value continues to drone on. 

Here are the common behaviors of those who have a low sense of self-worth.

1) Approval-seeking

People who don’t really believe in their own value have a tendency to seek outside validation on an ongoing basis. 

In their personal life and in their professional career, they look for signs and confirmations that they are valuable and wanted. 

However, instead of being reassured by any sense of validation or desire, they simply want more and more because these outer signs of validation are almost never powerful enough to counteract the inner sense of doubt.

2) People-pleasing 

Many of those who lack a strong sense of self-worth are prone to people-pleasing. 

This tendency puts the happiness and approval of others first and is something that can manifest in every area of life. 

This person doesn’t just prefer that others are happy and satisfied, they feel truly anxious and horrific if they think that someone else is upset or that they have not succeeded in pleasing somebody else. 

It’s often has roots in early childhood neglect or authority figures who made the child feel they were only valid if they earned affection and love.

3) Playing it safe

Those with a low sense of self-worth try their best to play it safe and do the bare minimum. 

At their jobs and in their personal life they avoid taking risks or trying something new because they do not have much confidence in their own potential to truly succeed. 

For this reason they tend to stick to the same old routine and not to do more than what they think they are capable of.

4) Perfectionist tendencies

Perfectionist tendencies are very commonly found in those who doubt their value.  They tend to have the belief that nothing they do is good enough and that everything has to be perfect. 

This is a low-key control tendency and an anxious feeling that they are responsible if everything does not end up perfect.

No matter how well they are doing, they beat themselves up for not doing better and not making everything even more perfect. 

5) Downplaying compliments

Many of us enjoy receiving compliments and find them to be a boost to our self-confidence and a welcome sign of appreciation. 

Those who have a low sense of self-worth often seek validation as I have noted, however they do not have much belief in the kind things that others say about them. 

They tend to downplay compliments and praise or to see them as mere flattery.

This leads to the next point… 

6) Writing off achievements as luck or privilege

This relates to the last point in the sense that it is difficult for those with low self-worth to believe kind things which are said about them.

They tend to think it is flattery as I noted, or they may believe that people are actually ignorant of their true privilege or luck. 

They tend to believe that any success they have had came as a result of unfair privilege or luck rather than their own actual value and talent.

Attempts to convince them otherwise are laughed off or brushed aside by the low self-confidence person. They say that others are just being nice and insist they deserve no praise.

7) Having a poor self-image

Those who doubt their own worth tend to have a poor self image. 

They doubt their abilities and talent, but they also tend to believe that they are ugly and unattractive to potential mates. 

This is part of why they interpret praise about their professional skills or personal desirability as insincere. 

Because their own inner voice is so critical, they usually filter out positive outer voices or seek more and more of them in a constant search for validation.

But no amount of positive feedback ever seems to stick.

8) Self-criticism and self-blame

One of the saddest things to see in people with low self-worth is the way they blame themselves for everything. 

There can’t be a single thing that goes wrong where they don’t in some way make it their fault.

Even a tragedy halfway around the world is somehow their fault or they feel bad that they are part of a society that does not do more or that contributes to the problem. 

Those with low self-worth seem to constantly see proof that they are a burden on the world and a burden on other people, instead of an asset.

9) Comparing themselves to others

Comparison to others is something we all do, and it is not always bad. 

However, it can often feed into a disempowering cycle of self-doubt and negative self-image.

For the individual with a low sense of self-worth, comparing themselves to others is a daily ritual, and they find it very hard to feel they are truly a valuable human being. 

Instead, they are often struck by imposter syndrome and the feeling they are going to be “found out” at any moment for being a fake or not truly belonging at their job, in their relationship and in every other sense.

10) Compulsively saying sorry

Those with a low sense of self-worth usually say sorry way too often. 

It becomes a go-to habit for them to say sorry to others in every situation possible, even where they have no actual reason to say sorry. 

The classic example of this is saying sorry when somebody else bumps into you.

Being polite is great, sure, but those who do this are definitely stuck in a submissive and lower self-esteem frame of mind.

11) Dread and avoidance of rejection

Not a single person I know enjoys rejection or sees it as no big deal. If rejection is no big deal it means that the person or situation which rejected us didn’t mean much to start with.

However, it is possible to take rejection less personally and see it more as the product of a situation and factors outside of our control than our own fault or shortcomings. 

Sadly, however, those who have a low sense of self-worth invariably interpret rejection as their own shortcoming or a sign of their low self-value, feeding into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

11) Social media attention-seeking behavior

Social media has many positive aspects, but it can also be a sinkhole for those with deep insecurity and a low sense of self-worth. 

Seeking attention online and validation is a never-ending quest for some individuals, but the sad thing is that no matter how much positive feedback they get that loneliness and hole inside only continues to grow.

12) Blurred personal and sexual boundaries

Those with a low sense of self-worth tend to be more vulnerable to predators and manipulators. 

They often end up in a relationship with a manipulative or predatory individual who takes advantage of their low conception of themselves to exploit and use this person. 

The sad thing is that this often feeds into a self-fulfilling prophecy on the part of the low self-esteem individual who already sees themselves as serving or naturally attracting lower quality people and situations.

13) Neglecting hygiene and personal grooming

It is hard for somebody to look after their appearance and care well for their body when they feel that they are not worth very much. 

Those who have a low sense of self-worth often struggle to care for their personal hygiene style and cleanliness. 

They also struggle with keeping a healthy schedule and self-discipline.

14) Agonizing over the smallest decisions

Decisions can be difficult for all of us, but at the very least smaller decisions tend to be easy. 

However, this is not the case for those who have a low sense of self-worth. 

Instead, they usually struggle deeply with even the smallest decisions, waffling back and forth over their options and seeking endless input from other people who they believe are somehow more authoritative or valid in making the decision. 

Outsourcing decisions in such a way as a classic sign of low self worth.

15) Turning to work for their sense of self-worth

Workaholics come in many shapes and sizes, however they also include those who feel quite poorly about themselves. 

Work and success at work can become a stand in for a sense of failure or low value in other areas of life, which is why somebody who seems to be getting addicted to their job can sometimes be seeking the form of escape in their work.