ABSTRACT
The field of self-esteem consists of a body of work that focuses on researching this phenomenon by using an extremely wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods, theorizing about what is found, and using that information to help at the practical level. Accordingly, a good place to start when asking specific questions is by defining how terms are being used and why they were selected, because operational definitions allow readers to follow and evaluate arguments more clearly. There are several additional reasons to begin in this fashion when thinking about self-esteem. First, social scientists define it in at least three very different ways, each of which has a long history of legitimate use in a field that is already over a century old. Second, each definition gives rise to a different body of research findings, theories, and conclusions about self-esteem. This kind of situation can make it difficult to keep in mind which definition goes with what kind of work, thereby generating confusion in the field. Third, with at least three active definitions and an intermingling set of findings, it is surprising to find that relatively little attention is devoted to thinking about just how important defining self-esteem is in this field. In fact, it could be argued that this issue is so foundational that it should be necessary to begin by defining what one means by the words “self-esteem” whenever this subject is discussed.
