Self-esteem and confidence building is NOT the root of resilience problems in the next generation--its actually the solution. Self-esteem is the ability to esteem oneself without regard for the circumstances or evaluation of others. If my self-esteem is based on what others think of me, its really "other-esteem".

The everyone-gets-a-trophy and everyone-is-awesome philosophies undermine one's self-esteem, it doesn't build it. It teaches us to find esteem in the compliments and appreciation that others give us rather than our own actual strengths and efforts. A kid with a high self-esteem is not the kid that is crushed by loss or rejection. A high self-esteem allows one to recognize the value and strengths that they have despite the present circumstances. In fact, LOW self-esteem is at the root of narcissism. One who needs to be elevated above others does so because they can't find the value within themselves otherwise. Social media's emphasis on likes and follows makes this especially difficult.

Thus, I agree with the linked post in principle that the constant positive appraisal undermines the development of resilience, but its not because of an emphasis on building self-esteem, its because people are trying to build self-esteem in the wrong ways. Self-esteem (REAL self-esteem) is actually the solution to many of the problems that we complain about in the younger generation.