Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 6, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Multiple social identifications and adolescents' self-esteem
Maya Benish-Weisman1, Ella Daniel2, David Schiefer3
1University of Haifa, Israel.
Abstract:
The research examined the relationship between multiple social identifications and self-esteem. Early adolescents (M = 11.4, SD = .95) and mid-adolescents (M = 15.9, SD = 1.18) from Germany and Israel (n = 2337) were studied. Respondents described their social identification as students, family members, and as members of the majority national group and reported self-esteem. A longitudinal, cross-sectional and cross-cultural design revealed, as predicted, multiple social identifications related positively to self-esteem concurrently; they also related positively to self-esteem longitudinally over the course of a year. Moreover, multiple social identifications were found to be antecedent to self-esteem, not vice versa. Finally, multiple social identifications were found to decrease over time. The article discusses the contribution of multiple social identifications to self-esteem at different ages and in various contexts.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....

