Self-Doubt: Is it a Character Trait?

Most people who have self-doubt think that it is just who they are. It might just be their character trait that they have self-doubt. I myself also have this self-doubt whenever I want to try something new in my life. I doubt myself if I can achieve success, is this a trait? Let us discuss the topic in this article. Let’s find out if self-doubt is a character trait.

Self-doubt is a character trait of many individuals. Almost all people have some sort of self-doubt. The degree of self-doubt a person has will vary depending on the person. Some people will have a strong sense of self-doubt, while others will only have a little.

But we still have to discuss character traits. People always wonder if it is over because they lack self-esteem and ultimately self-doubt. They blame themselves for not achieving anything in life. This article is to prevent that. Self-doubt when used correctly will do good to individuals. So let’s dive right into the article. Let us discuss further if self-doubt is indeed a trait.

Is self-doubt a character trait?

Self-doubt is a character trait, but it can also be possible that every person has varying levels of self-doubt. The amount of self-doubt a person has depends greatly on the person’s experiences. But all of us, even the confident ones experience self-doubt once in a while.

A person with strong self-doubt as a character trait will most likely have a reason for this. Their experiences are what shaped them into who they are today.

There are lots of causes for the development of self-doubt but most likely, it became like that because of numerous experiences in life.

I have made an article discussing all of these root causes of self-doubt in another article, you may check it out because it will give you a better understanding of what character traits really are: What is the root cause of self-doubt?

But getting on topic.

Self-doubt is innate within us. It is what made our hunter gatherer ancestor survive. It is a trait that made human specie survive.

Without a form of self-doubt, it will be hard for them to survive so there is a probability that all of us, even the people who you think have extreme confidence, is hiding self-doubt within ourselves.

Self-doubt is the reason why we still exist today. Our ancestors used self-doubt or criticism in order to survive.

Imagine if they lose their self-doubt and become someone with extreme confidence. How would they survive. Let me give an example.

Imagine our ancestor without self-doubt and just do whatever they feel. They saw a lion which can be used for food. If they don’t have any self-doubt and only confidence, they would just attack the lion without any preparation.

How about an elephant that can easily stomp them. Imagine if they are so confident that they will fight a bear empty handed.

Self-doubt made sure that they are thinking before doing something, and it has served humanity for ages.

This trait has been passed on to us, until now. We all have a self-doubts but with varying degrees.

Let me give an example on the varying degrees.

One of the causes of poor self-esteem or extreme self-doubt is comparison. People with self doubt usually have comparison as the root cause of the problem. If you are being compared to someone who is significantly better than you every time by your parents, there is a high chance that you will have an extreme version of self doubt.

It can also happen if you compare yourself to the former you. If you tend to be more successful before then chances are by comparing your past to your present, you will lose your self-esteem.

That is the problem.

The thing is self-doubt is good. I have made strong points on how helpful it is for our careers and life. How helpful it is on keeping us on track and keeping our humility in check.

There are of reasons why self-doubt is very useful.

There are more to this topic but it is not for this article. I have made an article discussing 5 ways self-doubt is good for us. It is very useful to read and to prove that self-doubt can be your friend. It also gives a stronger point in how you can use doubts to your advantage. Here is the link: Is self-doubt a weakness?

“The writer who loses his self-doubt, who gives way as he grows old to a sudden euphoria, to prolixity, should stop writing immediately: the time has come for him to lay aside his pen.”

Colette; an excerpt from Earthly Paradise

Self-doubt is a good thing and can be beneficial to us. The only difference if it will be beneficial or harmful to us is if we are using it properly.

My point is this. Self-doubt is in all of us. Doubting is a character trait that has been with us for a very long time. It is what helped us survive throughout times and it is never good nor bad. The thing that differentiates in self-doubt can be good or bad to us is how we use it.

To continue this, we need to answer what character traits really are. This is because we are going deeper into the topic of self-doubt and if it is in our character.

What is a Character Trait

Character traits are sets of characteristics a person has. It might come from their personality itself, or it may come from their various experiences in life. Character traits can either be good and bad. Examples of character traits are honesty, jealousy, confidence, and insecurity.

Based on the definition, we can safely tell that self-doubt is a character trait. This is because confidence and insecurity are the building blocks of self-doubt.

When you have extreme confidence, you will have less self-doubt. When you have extreme insecurity, then you will have more self-doubt.

The degree of self-doubt will depend greatly on the person’s character trait.

This means that since self-doubt is inherent with all of us, the only difference is our level or degree of self-doubt. You can have too much self-doubt if you are very insecure, or you might have little to no self-doubt if you are confident. Or you can be someone in between.

The truth is the degree of self-doubt you can have depends on the situation.

While character is a factor, the situation also has a big part of the pie.

When I am faced with big challenges such as this site, I had lots of doubts within myself. When I started writing posts, I also doubt my abilities.

But that made me stronger. Because of my doubt, I started to improve my writing skills. For reference, my first article is only 800 words long and it took me 4 hours to write it. It was very embarrassing that you won’t see that article ever again on the internet.

Because of my self-doubt, I was able to improve.

But coming back, the amount of self-doubt I had, when I started writing, is different from the self-doubt I had with starting my own site. The self-doubt I had before writing this article is extremely different from when writing my first article.

Obviously, starting a site from scratch is a very big step to take. I need to learn a lot so the self-doubt I had there is much larger than let’s say writing this article.

How you handle these doubts will depend on the situation, if it is really big and you really think you can’t handle them, then it is wise to find something you can handle.

But if you are running away from all forms of self-doubt, you are losing a lot of opportunity to grow as an individual.

I suggest you read my article about making a self-reflection. Since self-doubt is a character trait, you need to find more about yourself. I have made a really helpful guide with an infographic to make it easier to understand. Here is the link: How to develop your self-reflection practice