Do We Lack Self-Esteem?

ChocolateSauce

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7598549.stm

Musical tastes and personality type are closely related, according to a study of more than 36,000 people from around the world, with fans of rock and heavy metal music being characterised as having or being:

Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease.

I found the results of this to be very interesting, and I also don't think it's off by very much. It certainly is generally in line with a number of my friends when I think of them in terms of music taste. As a teenager I also had considerable esteem issues, as did many metallers I know.

What are your opinions on this? Rock and metal was the only category which had low self esteem?

Doctor J

I listen to a lot of Metal, Jazz, Soul and Blues, therefore I have both high and low esteem. Life must be a rollercoaster, baby :pac:

ChocolateSauce

You must be schizo! I listen to other genre not even on this list like industrial and medieval...In fact I'd say most people have multiple personalities by this standard!

anti-venom

I can go along with these findings.

'CHART POP High self-esteem, not creative, hardworking, outgoing, gentle, not at ease.'

Whoever listens to the crap that's pumped by the commercial music industry definatly lacks imagination, creativity and an independent mind.

Orizio

Reads like a pack of cliched bull**** really. What about people who listen to every genre under the moon?

projectmayhem

Orizio wrote: »

Reads like a pack of cliched bull**** really. What about people who listen to every genre under the moon?

+1

I listen to metal, dance, rap, classical, indie, electro and even a bit of pop!

I'm probably described under the survey as "a mess" so...

Sarky

I listen to rock and metal, and I'm f*cking awesome.

Karl Hungus

I find it more puzzling that this study shows fans of Rock and Heavy Metal as "Not outgoing", which seems contrary to just about every Rock or Metal fan I've ever known or come across.

I never put any faith in these kinds of surveys though, it's just far too vague and generalised.

Sarky wrote: »

I listen to rock and metal, and I'm f*cking awesome.

It's true, this man is f*cking awesome. Not quite as awesome as me, but he radiates with awesome none the less.

Malice

So what happens if you're a fan of Rage Against The Machine for example? They have elements of both metal and rap in their music so by the linked article's logic, you would have these traits:

• Rap: High self-esteem, outgoing.
• Metal: Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease.

Do the high and low self esteem traits cancel each other out or what?

It's a stupid article that makes many unfounded generalisations.

DeadSkin

malice_ wrote: »

So what happens if you're a fan of Rage Against The Machine for example? They have elements of both metal and rap in their music so by the linked article's logic, you would have these traits:

• Rap: High self-esteem, outgoing.
• Metal: Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease.

Do the high and low self esteem traits cancel each other out or what?

It's a stupid article that makes many unfounded generalisations.

Yep. It cancels out the esteem & outgoing traits.
Which leaves ya with creative, not hard-working, gentle and at ease.
Heh, it makes that fan a hippy :pac:

GLaDOS

I find rock/metal fans tend to be human, and as such have every personality trait under the sun

djScarey

Profiling research is usually carried out by nerds with an over-inflated value of both their own worth and their "head-up-my-own-ar*e research.

Rockee

projectmayhem wrote: »

+1

I listen to metal, dance, rap, classical, indie, electro and even a bit of pop!

I'm probably described under the survey as "a mess" so...

+2

Gilbert O'Sullivan and Morbid Angel vying for space on my iPod.:D

MoominPapa

Is it possible to have low self esteem and be at ease with yourself? Professor Adrian North may be setting himself up for an Ig Noble award

DenMan

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's true, this man is f*cking awesome. Not quite as awesome as me, but he radiates with awesome none the less.

Wow I want to get in on this too, because I reek of awesomeness aswell. I would say being a metal head plays a lot to do with it. Regarding the article it is a rather generalising sweep at music in general. 10 years ago in an attempt to diss metal, smash hits magazine went to Brixton prison in London to find metal heads. Of all the places to search, that is why I question the validity of this survey. Incidentially why exactly is Snoop Dogg banned from entering the UK to perform? Oh yeah complications arising from an incident at Heathrow Airport coupled with firearms and drug conviction charges back home. Doesn't particularly sound like high self-esteem and outgoing to me. More like too much money and a lack of respect for society in general.

Being honest my self-esteem is not as high as it should be so why shouldn't I be drawn to music with darker aspects of the human psyche. It is real, not pop bull**** that unfortunately we get bombarded with on a daily basis. However my self-esteem is a lot better than it used to be and I have metal to thank for it.

Tar.Aldarion

Low self esteem? HahaHHHAHAHA

DenMan

Tara Le d'Arion wrote: »

Low self esteem? HahaHHHAHAHA

Sure wouldn't we all love to be like you? :rolleyes::cool::)

projectmayhem

DenMan wrote: »

Sure wouldn't we all love to be like you. :rolleyes::cool::)

Anyone aiming to be like Ms. Tara is aiming fairly low there in fairness

DenMan

Quite right. Let me change it into a question.

Tar.Aldarion

Lol. Anyway yeah, I'm probably the most arrogant person there is. Take that survey.

Sarky

It's true, this man is f*cking awesome. Not quite as awesome as me, but he radiates with awesome none the less.

Some day I'll get an amp bigger than most refrigerators, and then we shall be equals :pac:

Elle Victorine

I don't doubt it's a possibility but I love metal and I'm grand.

But I'm pretty sure you'll find them people everywhere.

Parsley

projectmayhem wrote: »

I'm probably described under the survey as "a mess" so...

That'll be me too!

cournioni

Its not a generalisation as such, its just a survey that shows a percentage of metal, rap, alternative etc. fans personality traits. Metal heads probably had the highest percentage of all of those which doesn't really surprise me given the fact that Emo would probably come in under metal...

I would doubt if there is much of a gap between metal heads self esteem and anybody elses though.

lord lucan

metalhead = 'not hard working'.

they got me sussed:p

markyedison

any type of psychological research paper condensed into a table on a website will look like ****e. I would imagine that the paper itself is actually quite revealing , in a general sense.

unfortunately I can't seem to find it on the net. i keep running into that same table copied and pasted from the BBC site. anyone had more luck than me?

Cheers,
Marky

btw, not hard working, creative, gentle, at ease...they got me right..
as for the low self esteem; well, not lately. let's call it the exception that proves the rule;)

ChocolateSauce

It doesn't seem to account for people who listen to multiple genre's...but I can't actually find the full results of the survey, so I'm forced to assume it means people who listen almost exclusively to one genre.

As for attacking the researchers, that sounds very dumb. I'm dashing, smart, and so full of myself that if I was given an enema there'd be two of me, but that doesn't mean I've got high self-esteem (I don't). Although it probably only covers a very narrow data range, what it does cover is powerful evidence considering the sample size. I would be inclined to take notice of its conclusions.

Geranium

Did a music personality test in the Amsterdam science museum recently. Said I was left wing and creative, which is quite true, but I wasn't sure about the "tends towards driving a motorcycle, drinking beer and smoking marijuana". Not really my cup of tea... Funny though. I'd say people probably pick music to go with their personality, then it enhances it a bit. Dunno really.