Contingencies of Self Esteem

描述（由研究者提供）：本研究首先假设自尊的重要性不仅在于自尊的高低（即自尊的水平），还在于人们对寻求自尊的关注——追求在自我价值偶然性领域中验证自我的目标。在短期内，成功地追求自尊可以缓解焦虑，增加安全感和优越感。然而，这些好处是短暂的，可能会让自己和他人付出高昂的代价。本研究探讨了以下假设：1)偶然自我价值领域的威胁触发自我确认的目标，进而触发破坏学习、自主、关联和自我调节的反应（思想、情绪和行为）；2)偶然自我价值感领域的威胁反应触发他人的自我确认目标；3)学习目标（将绩效结果视为学习的一种手段）和包括对他人和自我都有好处的目标可以消除或减少偶然自我价值感领域中威胁对学习、相关性、自主性和自我调节的影响；4)随着时间的推移，由自我价值偶然性领域中实际或预期的威胁触发的自我确认目标会破坏心理健康，导致抑郁、焦虑、饮食失调和自恋症状的增加。17个实验室实验检验了偶然自我价值领域中实际和预期威胁对自我确认目标、思想、情绪和行为的影响。两项每日报告研究考察了自我价值领域的威胁如何影响日常生活中的自我确认目标和学习、相关性、自主性和自我调节，也考察了处于风险中的学生（轻度抑郁、焦虑、饮食失调和自恋学生），偶然自我价值领域的威胁是否会随着时间的推移导致症状的螺旋上升。一项为期4年的纵向调查研究了大学生偶然自我价值感领域自我确认目标的长期成本。这项研究有可能改变我们对自尊在日常生活和心理健康中的重要性的理解；如果这些预测得到证实，它将表明，自尊的重要性不仅在于我们是否拥有自尊，还在于，通过试图证明我们在偶然性领域的价值和价值，对自尊的追求如何破坏了人类对学习、关系、自主和自我调节的基本需求，最终破坏了心理健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): The proposed research begins with the hypothesis that the importance of self-esteem lies not just in whether it is high or low (i.e., level of self-esteem), but also in people's preoccupation with seeking self-esteem - pursuing the goal to validate the self in domains of self-worth contingency. In the short term, successful pursuit of self-esteem relieves anxiety and increases feelings of safety, security, and superiority. These benefits, however, are short-lived and may come at a high price to the self and to others. The proposed studies explore the following hypotheses 1) threats in domains of contingent self-worth trigger the goal of self-validation, which in turn triggers reactions (thoughts, emotions, and behaviors) that undermine learning, autonomy, and relatedness, and self-regulation; 2) these reactions threats in domains of contingent self-worth trigger self-validation goals in others; 3) learning goals (in which performance outcomes are viewed as a means to learning), and goals that include what is good for the other as well as the self can undo or diminish the effects of threats in domains of contingent self-worth on learning, relatedness, autonomy, and self-regulation; 4) over time, self-validation goals trigger by actual or anticipated threats in domains of self-worth contingency undermine mental health, leading to increases in symptoms of depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and narcissism. Seventeen laboratory experiments examine the effects of actual and anticipated threats in domains of contingent self-worth on self-validation goals and thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Two daily report studies examine how threats in domains of self-worth affect self-validation goals and learning, relatedness, autonomy, and self-regulation in daily life, and also examine in students at risk (mildly depressed, anxious, eating disordered, and narcissistic students) whether threats in domains of contingent self-worth lead to a spiraling of symptoms over time. A 4-year longitudinal survey examines the long-term costs of self-validation goals in domains of contingent self-worth for the mental health of college students. This research has the potential to transform our understanding of the importance of self-esteem in daily life, and for mental health; if the predictions are confirmed, it will show that the importance of self-esteem lies not (only) in whether we have it or not, but in how the pursuit of self-esteem, by attempting to prove our worth and value in domains of contingency, undermines the fundamental human needs for learning, relatedness, autonomy and self-regulation, and ultimately mental health.