this question really gets at the heart of the matter for me. simply put, I don't like myself because it is part of what I learned growing up.....the good rarely outweighed the bad, there was not a balance - it was far more negative. my parents, particularly my dad, did not like themselves - so how could I learn much from them about liking myself, how could they teach me?
I learned to think that I was bad and shouldn't like myself too well....it's hard to see what there is to like in myself because I'm much too accustomed to seeing/focusing on the negative.
also, I suppose expectations/standards were set pretty high too - and here I'm not just talking in the natural sense, but religiously, too, as I grew up in a strict fundamental Christian church - the spiritual standards are quite high. much emphasis on things like denying self/flesh, no good thing dwells in the flesh etc. I'm not meaning to say anything for/against this here or get too much into it......but what I am meaning to say is that this is something that is very deeply meshed with the question of why I, personally, do not like myself.....it is simply hard for me to like myself very well in either the natural or the spiritual sense. I'm struggling to find the balance....