Articles

The Fallacy of the Concept of "National Character", by Ludwig von Mises, Omnipotent Government, 1944
Related Topic: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Faust concludes with a glorification of productive work; its guiding idea is that only the self‑satisfaction received from rendering useful services to his fellow men can make a man happy; it is a panegyric upon peace, freedom, and—as the Nazis scornfully call it, 'bourgeois'—security."
The Wrong Filter, by Thomas Sowell, 26 Feb 1998
"American 12th graders fell below the international average in general mathematics and general science. ... American students led the world in one department: 'self-esteem.' ... students had the highest perception of how well they had done. Seventy percent said that they thought they had done well. This would be comic if it were not so tragic."

Books

Honoring the Self: Self-Esteem and Personal Tranformation
    by Nathaniel Branden, 1983
Looking Out for #1
    by Robert Ringer, 1977
Love 101: To Love Oneself Is the Beginning of a Lifelong Romance, by Peter McWilliams, 1995
Related Topic: Romantic Love
Electronic text partially available at author's site
Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
    by Nathaniel Branden, 1994
The Psychology of Self-Esteem: A Revolutionary Approach to Self-Understanding that Launched a New Era in Modern Psychology
    by Nathaniel Branden, 1969