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Related Concept Videos

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison01:27

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison

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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...
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Trait and State Self-Esteem02:08

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The term self-esteem is often used generically, to refer to how people feel about themselves. However, according to research, there are three distinct constructs that should not be used interchangeably (Brown & Marshall, 2006). 
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Self-Esteem01:28

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Self-esteem, a core aspect of psychological well-being, reflects an individual's positive and negative self-evaluation in terms of worth, competence, and overall value. It is both a stable trait and a dynamic process, influenced by experiences and social interactions across the lifespan. While global self-esteem offers a general assessment, research highlights that self-esteem is multidimensional and varies across specific life domains.Domain-Specific Self-EsteemResearchers have delineated...
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Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation01:30

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Self-evaluation is the process by which individuals assess their abilities, behaviors, and characteristics based on feedback from others. Charles H. Cooley observed that a person’s self-perception is primarily influenced by how others see and judge them. He suggested that individuals form their identities based on their interpretations of others' reactions. As a result, social interactions play a crucial role in shaping self-esteem and personal identity. These external evaluations often...
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Benefits of Self-Esteem01:25

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Self-esteem—an individual's overall evaluation of their worth—plays a complex role in psychological functioning and well-being. It is often associated with many positive traits, such as confidence, optimism, and perseverance. Individuals with high self-esteem typically experience better sleep, manage peer pressure more effectively, and report greater life satisfaction. Conversely, low self-esteem has been consistently linked with increased risks of depression, anxiety, and poor...
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The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison02:57

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According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
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Multimodal frontostriatal connectivity underlies individual differences in self-esteem.

Robert S Chavez1, Todd F Heatherton2

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA robert.s.chavez.GR@dartmouth.edu.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|May 6, 2014
PubMed
Summary

High self-esteem is linked to better mental health. Brain imaging reveals frontostriatal connectivity supports both stable (trait) and immediate (state) self-esteem, integrating self-perception with reward.

Keywords:
connectivitydiffusion tensor imagingfunctional magnetic resonance imagingmedial prefrontal cortexself-esteemventral striatum

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology

Background:

  • High self-esteem correlates with reduced risk for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
  • Mechanisms linking brain function to self-esteem, particularly self-referential processing and positive evaluation, remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how frontostriatal connectivity relates to trait and state aspects of self-esteem.
  • To explore the neural basis of self-esteem maintenance and fluctuations.

Main Methods:

  • Combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for white matter structural integrity.
  • Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for functional connectivity during positive self-evaluation.

Main Results:

  • DTI showed white matter integrity between medial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum correlated with trait self-esteem.
  • fMRI revealed functional connectivity in these regions during positive self-evaluation correlated with state self-esteem.

Conclusions:

  • Convergent anatomical and functional evidence links frontostriatal circuit connectivity to self-esteem.
  • Self-worth may arise from neural systems integrating self-information with positive affect and reward.
  • Findings may inform understanding of diminished self-esteem in psychiatric conditions.