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Hollow Kids:

Recapturing the Soul of a Generation Lost to the Self-Esteem Myth

(An Overview)

Hollow Kids exposes the fallacies, if not outright recklessness, of the self-esteem movement. The book opens with a surprising look at the problems seen in adolescents today as compared to 30 or 40 years ago, documenting the increases in depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety, and crime; the decline in values; the diminishment of school achievement. Chapter 1 describes how Self-Esteem promoters pronounced low self-esteem as the primary cause of all these problems, a contention we all soon accepted as truth, thus opening the floodgates for thousands of books, videos, tapes, and lesson plans designed to bolster everyone’s self-esteem.

       Chapter 2 defines self-esteem, uncovers a number of important myths about the concept, and presents a new model for understanding the nature of self-esteem. Chapters 3 through 7 review specific problem areas that the Self-Esteem Movement declared were due to low self-esteem, and examine the evidence for and against the Self-Esteem traffickers’ contentions. You’ll likely be surprised by the paradoxical nature of what you discover.

        Chapter 8 unwraps our alternative to the promotion of self-esteem--namely, acceptance--and discloses how those who can learn to accept their gifts and their flaws, their present and their past, can turn from being victims toward becoming copers.

        Chapters 9 and 10 reveal how parents and educators can foster the development of acceptance in children. We present what we hope you’ll find to be an enlightened view of parenting and teaching based on the building blocks of acceptance: self-control and empathy.

        Hollow Kids ends with a sense of cautious optimism. As the authors, we found that researching and writing this book led us through a personal examination of our values and beliefs, as well as a fuller appreciation of our connections and a reevaluation of our priorities.

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Endorsements for Hollow Kids:
Recapturing the Soul of a Generation Lost to the Self-Esteem Myth

“A courageous and brilliant analysis of the ‘feel good’ self-esteem movement. Drs. Smith and Elliott offer parents immensely helpful advice to liberate kids from self-preoccupation and self-indulgence. This is an extremely important book---one that every parent, educator and citizen should read. It brings clarity where self-promotion and boosterism have kept us in the shadow of narcissism. Bravo!”

Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D. President-Elect, International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York Hospital.

“Hollow Kids delivers an electrifying message. An absolute must read for any concerned parent or educator.”

John Rosemond

Family psychologist, best selling author, and nationally syndicated columnist

"The wooden stake into the heart of the misguided self-esteem movement. Kudos to Smith & Elliot."

Martin Seligman, Ph.D.

Author of Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child
Fox Professor of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania

“Smith and Elliott have provided a wonderful and fascinating account of how our national love affair with self-esteem has shortchanged our children. Everyone interested in our nation's future should read this lively, informative, eye-opening book.”

--Roy F. Baumeister, Ph.D., professor of psychology and author of Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty

"An unusually good book that shows in detail why the self-esteem movement does much more harm than good. It presents very sensible and practical plansto fostering self-acceptance and self-control instead of self-sabotaging self-esteem."

-Albert Ellis, Ph.D., president, Albert Ellis Institute, and author of A Guide to Rational Living

“A provocative critique of modern America’s self-absorbed individualism. Smith and Elliott expose the dark side of self-inflated narcissism and point us toward a more honest self-acceptance and purposeful self-control.”

-David Myers, Ph.D. Hope College and author of The Great American Paradox

“I hope that all parents and teachers will read this book.”

-Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., coauthor of Parents Who Love Too Much, Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World, and the Positive Discipline series