Mental Constructs and the Effects on the Psyche?

I've began to ponder mental constructs and how they possibly affect the psyche. I remember as a young child in 2nd grade, I recall my teacher suggesting to my mom that I participate in a program called Project Self-Esteem. It was a program featuring Harmony the Bear or something like that, and I guess it was supposed to teach young kids about Self-Esteem. Back then I didn't really want to participate, and opted not to. I also didn't know anything about the concept of Self-Esteem: It wasn't a concern, and it wasn't important at all.

I also recall as a very young child, grownups talking about me, giving me labels. One label I consistently heard was "Timid." I had no concept of what "Timid" was. I knew I was quiet, and that it implied some state of being quiet. But over time as I got older, I learned this concept, this word, this label is associated with a lack of strength. I remember being quiet as a child, but I don't ever recall thinking about being weak or being strong. Those ideas never crossed my mind until I kept getting older and older.

The word "anxiety" I never really understood until high school when I started to experience uncontrollable sweating and nervousness in front of others. The idea of "Self-Love" I never knew until my hormones kicked and I experienced not getting the person I wanted to want me back. As a child "Self-Love" was never a needed concept, it was never even a thing. It only became a thing when the idea of Self-Loathing arrived into my consciousness. The constant needing of approval from others created these new ideas of "Self-Love" and "Self-Hate." I wonder if these are even real things, or if they're mental constructs that arose out of our methods of controlling each other (and attempts at controlling ourselves) through reward and punishment. Without the aggression we show to ourselves and to others, I don't think the idea of "Self-Love" would even exist. It's a word that implies of a lack within, when there may have not been a lack to begin with. Our perceived lack may be a result of the punishment and reward system that we've been taught throughout our lives.

And ironically a new kind of mental construct or paradigm is needed in order to return to a state more similar to childhood before we learned of so many different concepts and labels: A mental construct that relies on intrinsic forces from within.