ABSTRACT
Self-esteem is clearly one of the most popular topics in modern psychology, with more than 35,000 publications on the subject of this construct. This exceptionally wide and diverse literature has examined the potential causes, consequences, and correlates of self-esteem. The considerable attention that has been given to self-esteem is most likely due to the fact that self-esteem was once believed to play a causal role in many important life outcomes. Widespread interest in self-esteem began to build during the 1970s as results emerged that linked self-esteem with a variety of social problems including drug abuse, unemployment, academic underachievement, and violence. The so-called self-esteem movement was in full swing by the 1980s, as evidenced by the funding of the California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility (1990). The goal of this Task Force was to raise the self-esteem of Californian citizens with the hope that some of the social problems that were plaguing the state at that time would be reduced if individuals felt better about themselves. Various efforts to raise self-esteem have been implemented but they have not resulted in the societal changes that had been envisioned and, as a result, self-esteem is no longer considered to be the sort of panacea that many once hoped it would be. In fact, there has been considerable debate in recent years concerning the value of self-esteem, with some researchers continuing to argue that self-esteem is a fundamental construct that is associated with a wide array of important life outcomes (e.g., Orth, Robins, & Widaman, 2012; Schimel, Landau, & Hayes, 2008; Swann, Chang-Schneider, & Larsen McClarty, 2007; Trzesniewski et al., 2006), whereas other researchers have adopted a much more negative view of self-esteem and consider it to have – at best – limited value (e.g., Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003; Boden, Fergusson, & Horwood, 2008; Damon, 1995; Scheff & Fearon, 2004; Seligman, 1993). Most often, those who argue against the utility of self-esteem believe that it is something akin to an epiphenomenon that simply reflects other processes rather than serving as a causal agent. The purpose of the present chapter – as well as this entire volume to some degree – is to provide a relatively concise overview of this expansive and controversial literature in an effort to answer one of the most vital questions in this area of the literature: Does self-esteem play an important role in our lives?
