Within the larger culture, popular self-help books, seminars, and parental education classes, particularly in the latter part of the twentieth century, have stressed the need for each of us to “feel good” about ourselves, and also the obligation we have to help our children, students, and friends feel good about themselves, even in the face of failures and less than praiseworthy behavior. Indeed, countless studies and everyday experience alike suggest that most people do succeed in developing and maintaining a generally positive view of self.