"The art of learning to love ourselves involves, first, discovering how, as children, we learn to dislike ourselves; then through diligent effort we can learn to love ourselves properly," says Dr. Osborne in introducing the subject of this book. "When we shall achieve that, our relationships will improve. Liking ourselves better, we discover a new and wonderful self-acceptance and become capable of giving and receiving love." The Art of Learning to Love Yourself focuses on the critical area of personal hurts -- specifically those inflicted in early childhood -- and how to build one's self esteem. "All of us, even in the most enlightened and loving environment, were damaged to some extent; for as there are no perfect parents, there is no perfect environment, and thus, there are no perfect children grown into adults. We dislike ourselves in direct proportion to that amount of rejection and criticism we experienced in childhood. We like and accept ourselves to the degree that our parents loved and accepted us." This book offers positive guidelines for building a better self-image and achieving a greater degree of self-love and self-approval. - Back cover.