The link between self-esteem and aggression: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

This preregistered meta-analysis of longitudinal studies investigated the prospective effects between self-esteem and aggression. The link between these constructs has been debated for decades. Some researchers have argued that low self-esteem is a risk factor for aggression, while others have linked high self-esteem to aggression, referring to a "dark side of high self-esteem." A comprehensive literature search led to the inclusion of 47 samples (total N = 40,688). Using one-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling, we estimated dynamic panel models controlling for stable between-person variance in the constructs. The analyses revealed no significant cross-lagged effects; self-esteem did not predict later aggression, nor did aggression predict later self-esteem. When using continuous time meta-analysis to account for between-study differences in time intervals, a significant but small effect of aggression on low self-esteem emerged. The effect of self-esteem on aggression remained nonsignificant. In both types of analyses, the latent factors of self-esteem and aggression were significantly correlated with a large effect size (r = -.35 and r = -.33, respectively). There was little evidence for publication bias. The only evidence of moderation of cross-lagged effects was found for the effect of aggression on self-esteem, which was stronger (i.e., more negative) for hostile-only aggression. Otherwise, the results provided no clear evidence that the prospective effects between self-esteem and aggression differed across aggression dimensions, age, and gender. Taken together, our results indicated that neither low nor high self-esteem appears to be a risk factor for future aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).