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Feeling good without doing good: Comment on Orth and Robins (2022)
Joachim I Krueger1, Roy F Baumeister2, Kathleen D Vohs3
1Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University.
The American Psychologist
|March 31, 2022
Summary
High self-esteem benefits are often overstated. Objective outcomes show these effects depend on the situation and specific domain, suggesting self-esteem
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- A recent review suggests high self-esteem consistently offers benefits.
- The popular belief in the advantages of high self-esteem is widespread.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the objective benefits of high self-esteem.
- To examine the variability and domain-dependence of self-esteem's effects.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and commentary.
- Analysis of objective outcome measures versus subjective perceptions.
Main Results:
- Observed benefits of high self-esteem are variable and context-dependent.
- Effects are not uniform across all objective measures or life domains.
- The perceived advantages may be more cognitive than behavioral.
Conclusions:
- The link between high self-esteem and positive objective outcomes is less robust than often assumed.
- Self-esteem's influence is nuanced, varying significantly by domain and measurement.
- The impact of high self-esteem may be more rooted in internal states than external actions.
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