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Related Concept Videos

Protecting Self-Esteem01:27

Protecting Self-Esteem

Self-esteem, a central component of psychological well-being, is actively maintained through various cognitive and behavioral strategies. Individuals employ specific mechanisms to preserve a positive self-concept and mitigate threats to their self-worth, particularly in contexts involving social evaluation or personal feedback. Four primary techniques are commonly used to sustain self-esteem.Manipulating AppraisalsOne prominent strategy involves manipulating appraisals from others. Individuals...
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Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

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Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
12:55

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Published on: September 27, 2020

Looking again, and harder, for a link between low self-esteem and aggression.

Brad J Bushman1, Roy F Baumeister, Sander Thomaes

  • 1Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. bbushman@umich.edu

Journal of Personality
|February 5, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Aggression is linked to threatened egotism, not low self-esteem. High narcissism, especially when provoked, increases aggressive behavior, challenging previous theories.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Aggression Research

Background:

  • Recent studies suggest a link between low self-esteem and aggression.
  • This hypothesis has been debated in psychological research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-examine the relationship between self-esteem and aggression.
  • To investigate the role of narcissism in aggressive behavior.
  • To differentiate between direct and indirect aggression.

Main Methods:

  • Reanalysis of existing experimental data.
  • Conducting a new experiment on direct physical aggression (aversive noise blasts).
  • A field study measuring indirect aggression (negative evaluations).

Main Results:

  • High narcissists exhibited increased aggression when provoked by insult or humiliation.
  • Aggression was directed specifically at the source of criticism.
  • The highest levels of aggression were observed in individuals with both high self-esteem and high narcissism.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support the threatened egotism theory of aggression.
  • Results contradict the hypothesis that low self-esteem causes aggression.
  • Narcissism and provoked egotism are key factors in understanding aggression.