Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Level and stability of self-esteem mediate relationships between personality traits and life satisfaction: Bayesian
1Department of Psychology, Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea.
Abstract:
This study examined the relationships among the Big Five personality traits, self-esteem levels, self-esteem stability, and life satisfaction over a 15-year period. The primary objectives were to examine whether: (1) self-esteem stability contributed to the prediction of life satisfaction beyond self-esteem level, and (2) both self-esteem level and stability mediated the associations between personality traits and life satisfaction. Bayesian multilevel modelling was conducted on a sample of Dutch adults (N = 4,880), with self-esteem stability operationalised using within-person variance and mean square successive difference. Results indicated that higher levels of self-esteem and self-esteem stability were significantly associated with greater life satisfaction. All Big Five traits predicted higher self-esteem level, while emotional stability and conscientiousness emerged as robust predictors of self-esteem stability with both stability operationalizations. Self-esteem level mediated the relationship between all personality traits and life satisfaction. However, self-esteem stability only mediated the effects of emotional stability and conscientiousness on life satisfaction across both operationalizations of stability. This study provides new insights into the importance of self-esteem stability, in addition to self-esteem level, in shaping well-being. These findings underscore self-esteem levels and dynamics as a crucial mechanism linking personality dispositions to life evaluations.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Trait and State Self-Esteem
Traits, Mood, and Subjective Wellbeing
Neuroticism and...
Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality

