‘Incredible . . . Synchronicity’ : Self-Esteem Panel Shows Plenty of It at 1st Meeting

SACRAMENTO — As they gathered for their first meeting Wednesday, the 25 members of California’s newly formed--and much derided--task force on self-esteem had no problem telling the world why they were picked from a field of more than 400 applicants.

One said she had gained deep psychological insights by editing a book, “Gourmet Parenting.” Another had success with a course titled, “How to Be Successful in 10 Minutes a Day.” A third, sporting a turban and a wide grin, said he discovered the key to human behavior in a combination of neurosciences and ancient yoga techniques.

Ridiculed in the “Doonesbury” cartoon strip and the butt of many jokes around the Capitol, the California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem, Personal and Social Responsibility had finally convened.

And it was clear from the tenor of the introductions that while lack of self-esteem might be a problem among the population at large, few in this group appeared to suffer from the malady.

“I’ve always had an aura of self-confidence,” Gertie B. Thomas, director of a University of California Extension program in Alameda County, boasted to other task force members. By way of warning, she added: “I hope that does not offend you, but I can’t change.”

The task force was the brainchild of Assemblyman John Vasconcellos, a Democrat from Santa Clara who has often been linked to offbeat causes. After several unsuccessful tries and much snickering among the political Establishment, he persuaded lawmakers last year to spend $245,000 a year for three years to study self-esteem. Doing so, he said, would help get to the root of some of society’s toughest problems.

The concept quickly found a wellspring of support among devotees of the human potential movement, many of whom had found a commercial bonanza in publishing books and by offering high-priced seminars for those who suffer from a poor self-image.

Nine members of the commission were named by Gov. George Deukmejian and six each by the Democratic leaders of the Senate and Assembly. Four others appointed by various state officials are not allowed to vote.

Diverse Group

The result is a politically, ethnically and sexually diverse group dominated by psychologists, social workers and “New-Age” advocates, some of whom peppered their introductory remarks with such baffling phrases as “incredible, ongoing synchronicity” and “growthing.”

The task force has three years to survey all previous studies on the causes of such problems as child abuse, teen-age pregnancy, prostitution and chronic welfare dependency and decide whether there is a link between those problems and low self-esteem. The panel is planning monthly meetings statewide and several overnight retreats as part of its probe.

Task force chairman and health researcher Andrew Mecca of Tiburon, who described the job as “piercing, challenging and anxiety provoking,” said the concept has already spread outside California to eight other states that are considering legislation to establish similar commissions.

Fertile Ground

But it was the “Doonesbury” strip that brought the task force national notoriety even before its members were chosen as the ultimate illustration of trendy California. Veteran political cartoonist Garry Trudeau found fertile ground in the concept of a government commission dealing with self-esteem.

In the strip, one of Trudeau’s fictional characters was Boopsie, an aspiring actress named to the commission because of her “out-of-body” experiences. At times on Wednesday, it appeared as though life was imitating art as one commission member said she would miss the task force’s next meeting but would send written material “so when my body is not here, the rest of me can be.”

But Mecca, noting the large crowd of television reporters who had shown up for the commission’s first meeting, said he was not upset by all the ribbing. Trudeau, Mecca said, “has elevated this task force to national and international prominence.”

In remarks to the group, Vasconcellos called the task force “the ultimate government self-help program” and noted that the cost involved is “about what it costs to keep 13 convicts in prison for a year.”

Caution Urged

At the same time, Vasconcellos urged members to be cautious about their public image so that their work will be taken seriously.

“The more radical the enterprise, the more conservative the process,” he said. “Be credible, be solid and be serious. Playful, but serious.”