Certainly there are small communities everywhere (even in America -- after all, they were prolific in America's infancy) that sought the creation of a hyper-communal and idyllic towns... but... those never scale because, well, people are selfish. But still. I just can't process what you're saying. Maybe I'm blinded by offense.
But we're talking about self-esteem, which everyone is supposed to get for free. Self-respect, like the respect of others, must be earned. Equating the two is a quintessentially modern-American mistake (I'm a modern American, and I made this mistake myself for years), and I think that's what 'sklogic calls out above.
What culture (besides the Northern Americans) would so blindly equate self respect to self esteem? The others understand better that you can respect yourself even without the overblown, unrealistic views on your own abilities and virtues.
I don't think self esteem means what you think it means.