Anxiety (when it’s not rational) is usually the result of insufficient self-esteem. Self-esteem consists of two parts: Self-efficacy and self-worth. Self-efficacy refers to the view that one is competent, and self-worth refers to the view that one deserves the results of one’s competence. At root, a person with self-esteem feels worthy and capable of living. Some people have problems with one or the other–self-efficacy or self worth–and some have problems with both. You cannot give someone self-esteem and they cannot acquire it all at once, if they lack it. But anyone aware of what the underlying causes of self-esteem are has the potential of acquiring some.