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Cited by 1,402Personality Traits and PsychologyEmotions and Moral BehaviorDeath Anxiety and Social Exclusion

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 314 of the 314 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Costly Pursuit of Self-Esteem

Crocker, Jennifer, Park, Lora E.·2004·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392
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Abstract

Researchers have recently questioned the benefits associated with having high self-esteem. The authors propose that the importance of self-esteem lies more in how people strive for it rather than whether it is high or low. They argue that in domains in which their self-worth is invested, people adopt the goal to validate their abilities and qualities, and hence their self-worth. When people have self-validation goals, they react to threats in these domains in ways that undermine learning; relatedness; autonomy and self-regulation; and over time, mental and physical health. The short-term emotional benefits of pursuing self-esteem are often outweighed by long-term costs. Previous research on self-esteem is reinterpreted in terms of self-esteem striving. Cultural roots of the pursuit of self-esteem are considered. Finally, the alternatives to pursuing self-esteem, and ways of avoiding its costs, are discussed.

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314 of 314 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 26

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Metadata

Authors
Crocker, J., & Park, L. E.
Affiliations
University of Michigan (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2004-05
Volume
130
Issue
3
Pages
392-414
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392
OpenAlex
W2139936398
Semantic Scholar
924706e15f8baf8a3f9cec05a301a422a2f47c1f
Cited by
1,402
References
305
Citations by year
2026: 41 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 70 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 72 · 2018: 78 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 73 · 2015: 68 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 83 · 2012: 62
FWCI
5.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1k02mh001747-01a1)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (K02 MH01747-01, R01 MH5886901)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Keywords
self-esteem, self-worth, learning, relatedness, autonomy, self-regulation, mental health, physical health
MeSH terms
Culture, Emotions, Goals, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Relations, Motivation, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Social Perception, Time

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