The Pursuit of Self-Esteem and Its Motivational Implications
Open accessAbstract
Although recent studies have found contingent self-esteem (CSE) to be negatively related to individuals’ well-being, research concerning its implications for motivation and engagement is scarce. In two studies, we investigated the relation between CSE, motivation, and engagement in achievement-related situations. A first cross-sectional study among second year high school students (N = 641; 54.1% female) confirmed the hypothesized motivational ambiguity associated with academic CSE. Beyond the contribution of academic self-esteem, academic CSE was positively related to behavioral and emotional engagement, but also to emotional disaffection and test anxiety. These associations could partially be explained by motivational quality, as CSE was also positively related to both autonomous and controlled types of motivation. In a second experimental study among university students (N = 72; 70.8% female), who participated in a tangram puzzle task under varying feedback circumstances, global CSE related to more tension, while predicting less behavioral task perseverance. These effects were not moderated by the type of feedback provided (i.e., positive vs. negative). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.
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Contingent self-worth functions as a double-edged sword, entailing great commitment but also relating to greater emotional distress.
“Contingent self-worth functions as a doubleedged sword, on the one hand entailing great commitment (Crocker et al. 2003) but on the other hand also relating to greater emotional distress (Van der Kaap-Deeder et al. 2016).”
From Basic psychological need theory: Advancements, critical themes, and future directions (2020) · cites this paper as Van der Kaap-Deeder et al. 2016
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References 61 · Cited by 55
- Authors
- van der Kaap-Deeder, J., Wouters, S., Verschueren, K., Briers, V., Deeren, B., & Vansteenkiste, M.
- Affiliations
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Ghent University (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Vansteenkiste, Maarten
- Venue
- Psychologica Belgica
- Publisher
- Ubiquity Press, Ltd.
- Published
- 2016-07-13
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 143-168
- ISSN
- 0033-2879 (ISSN-L)
- 2054-670X
- PMC
- PMC5854109
- OpenAlex
- W2405455587
- Cited by
- 55
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 6.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Psychologica Belgica (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Psychologica Belgica (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- contingent self-esteem, academic self-esteem, global self-esteem, motivation, engagement, achievement motivation, autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, test anxiety, feedback, high school students, university students
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