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Cited by 807Personality Traits and PsychologyPsychometric Methodologies and TestingPsychological Testing and Assessment

Stability of self-esteem across the life span.

Trzesniewski, Kali H., Donnellan, M. Brent, Robins, Richard W.·2003·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.84.1.205
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Abstract

Two studies examined the rank-order stability of self-esteem from age 6 to 83: Study 1 was a meta-analysis of 50 published articles (N = 29,839) and Study 2 analyzed data from 4 large national studies (N = 74,381). Self-esteem showed substantial continuity over time (disattenuated correlations ranged from the .50s to .70s), comparable to the stability found for personality traits. Both studies provided evidence for a robust developmental trend: Self-esteem stability was low during childhood, increased throughout adolescence and young adulthood, and declined during midlife and old age. This trend could not be explained by age differences in the reliability of self-esteem measures, and generally replicated across gender, ethnicity, self-esteem scale, nationality (U.S. vs. non-U.S.), and year of publication.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0022-3514.84.1.205

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11 of 11 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Self-esteem is stable over time; its rank-order stability is quite high even across decades of life, and comparable in magnitude to the rank-order stability of personality traits.

    “Self-esteem is stable over time.The rank-order stability of self-esteem is quite high even across decades of life, and comparable in magnitude to the rank-order stability of personality traits (Trzesniewski et al., 2003).”

    From Self and identity in personality psychology (2021) · cites this paper as Trzesniewski et al., 2003

  • Rank-order stability of self-esteem varies as a function of age; it is relatively low in childhood, increases across adolescence, peaks in adulthood, and then decreases in old age.

    “As with personality traits, moreover, the rank-order stability of self-esteem varies as a function of age; it is relatively low in child hood, increases across adolescence, peaks in adulthood, and then decreases in old age (Trzesniewski et al., 2003).”

    From Self and identity in personality psychology (2021) · cites this paper as Trzesniewski et al., 2003

  • A meta-analysis with 3-year intervals yielded a self-esteem rank-order stability of 0.64 corrected for measurement error.

    “A meta-analysis with 3-year intervals yielded a stability of 0.64 (corrected for measurement error; Trzesniewski et al., 2003).”

    From Self‐esteem development and life events: A review and integrative process framework (2022) · cites this paper as Trzesniewski et al., 2003

  • Self-esteem should be considered as both trait and state.

    “Several researchers argue that self-esteem should be considered as trait and state (Crocker & Wolfe, 2001;Trzesniewski et al., 2003).”

    From Self‐esteem development and life events: A review and integrative process framework (2022) · cites this paper as Trzesniewski et al., 2003

  • Self-esteem rank-order stability increases from lowest in childhood and adolescence to highest in middle age.

    “The stability of individual differences in self-esteem was found to increase from the lowest stability in childhood and adolescence to the highest stability in middle age (Donnellan et al., 2012;Kuster & Orth, 2013;Trzesniewski et al., 2003).”

    From Self‐esteem development and life events: A review and integrative process framework (2022) · cites this paper as Trzesniewski et al., 2003

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Authors
Trzesniewski, K. H., Donnellan, M. B., & Robins, R. W.
Affiliations
University of California, Davis (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2003
Volume
84
Issue
1
Pages
205-220
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.84.1.205
OpenAlex
W1992919942
Cited by
807
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 46 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 43
FWCI
17.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1r03mh061829-01)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH61829)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
Keywords
self-esteem, rank-order stability, lifespan development, developmental trends, adolescence, early adulthood, midlife, old age, childhood, personality traits, measurement reliability
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Self Concept

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