Hi why98. I'll post the link on your behalf. It's at Blog Therapy, Therapy, Therapy Blog, Blogging Therapy, Therapy,..

I think the ideas of reference are ones many experience. The article emphasizes that it can be at both ends (low or high self esteem). I suppose most are influenced by life experiences, though not just "nurture", perhaps also "nature". Unless they become more serious "delusions of reference" which may need medications to help, I think therapy (either way) is helpful. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) would likely be particularly effective as it helps challenge cognitive distortions and work through past influences for certain ways of feeling and thinking.

Nature and nurture were fairly kind to me, in terms of self esteem. Yet I do feel grounded enough not to have excessively high esteem for my abilities, etc. Certainly bipolar depression and mania have knocked it down or lifted it, at times, and even reached delusional levels, at its worst. I can certainly also see other mental health issues causing delusional issues. Severe anxiety, PTSD, unipolar depression, and other struggles listed in the DSM-5, from somatic disorders to others.