ABSTRACT
Historically, most research and theory on the nature, antecedents, and consequences of self-esteem has focused on its level, that is, on whether it is low or high. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that a full understanding of self-esteem requires taking into consideration other self-esteem components, namely stability, contingency, and implicit self-esteem (Crocker, Luhtanen, Cooper, & Bouvrette, 2003b; Kernis, 2003, 2005; Kernis & Goldman, 2003). More researchers are incorporating measures assessing these components into their studies, oftentimes resulting in richer and more nuanced findings that underscore self-esteem s complexity. In this chapter, we focus on issues pertaining to the measurement of fragile forms of self-esteem, specifically self-esteem stability and contingent self-esteem.
