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Contingencies of self-worth.

J Crocker¹, C T Wolfe

¹Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA. jcrocker@umich.edu

Psychological Review

|August 8, 2001

Summary

Self-esteem levels are less important than the specific areas individuals base their self-worth on. Understanding these contingencies of self-worth is key to explaining self-esteem

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Personality Psychology

Background:

Traditional self-esteem research primarily examines trait self-esteem levels.
William James (1890) proposed self-esteem fluctuates based on successes and failures in valued domains.
The importance of contingencies of self-worth has been largely overlooked in contemporary research.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a model of global self-esteem centered on contingencies of self-worth.
To elucidate the role of self-esteem in affect, cognition, and behavioral self-regulation.
To address paradoxes in self-esteem literature and its relationship with social issues and mental health.

Main Methods:

Theoretical model development based on James' (1890) insights.

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Integration of contingencies of self-worth into a comprehensive self-esteem framework.

Exploration of implications for understanding social problems, depression, and age-related self-esteem changes.

Main Results:

The proposed model offers a framework for understanding the dynamic nature of self-esteem.
Contingencies of self-worth help explain phenomena such as resilience in stigmatized individuals and stable self-esteem with age.
This perspective suggests a causal link between self-esteem contingencies and depression.

Conclusions:

A focus on contingencies of self-worth provides a more nuanced understanding of self-esteem.
Further research should investigate the acquisition, change, and adaptive/maladaptive potential of self-worth contingencies.
The concept of noncontingent self-esteem warrants further exploration.