Relation of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in male professionals, college students, and clients.

Previous studies that have suggested that masculinity is a strong predictor of mental health have been generally limited to college student populations or have focused specifically on women. This study investigated the relation of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in male professionals (n?=?96), clients (n?=?55), and college students (n?=?73). The Personal Orientation Inventory, Bem Sex Role Inventory, and Rotter Internal–External Locus of Control Scale were administered to the subjects, along with a demographic data sheet. Correlations were used to investigate the relation and relative predictive significance of masculinity, femininity, education, occupation, and locus of control to self-esteem and self-acceptance. Masculinity was found to be the best predictor of self-esteem for male professionals and clients, and the best predictor of self-acceptance for clients. Femininity did not correlate with self-esteem or self-acceptance in any group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in female professionals, college students, clients, and victims of domestic violence.

Investigated the relationship of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in female professionals (n?=?89), clients (n?=?52), victims of domestic violence (n?=?57), and college students (n?=?83). Ss ranged in age from 19 to 65 yrs. Ss completed the Personal Orientation Inventory, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, and a demographic data sheet. Correlations were used to examine the relationship and relative predictive significance of masculinity, femininity, education, occupation, and locus of control to self-esteem and self-acceptance. Masculinity was the best predictor of self-esteem in all groups and the best predictor of self-acceptance in all groups except professionals. Femininity was generally irrelevant, and a significant negative correlation was found between education and self-acceptance among professionals. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mid-life women: Relation of age and role to personality.

Compared women in 2 midlife age groups (29–39 and 40–55 yrs) and 4 role groups (homemaker, married/career, single/career, reentry student) on personality dimensions (e.g., self-esteem, locus of control, achievement and affiliation needs, indices of psychological adjustment) to investigate Ss' personality as related to both age/family life stage and role, including career and marital status. MANOVA revealed that Ss could be differentiated by role on locus of control, affiliation, and social maturity, but were not significantly different by age on any dimension. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intergroup discrimination and self-esteem in the minimal group paradigm.

Tested the hypothesis that intergroup discrimination (IGD) in the minimal group paradigm is related to self-esteem. According to social identity theory, IGD is a strategy for achieving self-esteem via social competition aimed at increasing the positive distinctiveness of one's own group. However, other elements of the procedure, such as categorization into groups or the opportunity to engage in a meaningful experimental task irrespective of its value for social competition, might also affect self-esteem. 135 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 8 concurrent experimental conditions. A 2-way MANOVA on the core design produced a significant interaction effect, whereby categorized Ss who had the opportunity to discriminate between groups and noncategorized Ss who did not discriminate showed higher self-esteem than did both categorized Ss who could not engage in discrimination and noncategorized Ss who could discriminate. Results support social identity theory and suggest that social categorization by itself may constitute a threat to self-esteem that can be resolved via social competition. Results from the supplementary conditions support the conclusion that it is IGD, and not merely the completion of an experimental task, that redeems self-esteem. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collective self-esteem and ingroup bias.

In addition to personal self-esteem, we propose that there is a second type of self-esteem, collective self-esteem. People who are high in trait collective self-esteem should be more likely to react to threats to collective self-esteem by derogating outgroups and enhancing the ingroup. In a study using the minimal intergroup paradigm, trait personal and collective self-esteem were measured, and subjects received information about the average performance of their group. Subjects high in collective self-esteem varied their ratings of above-average and below-average scorers on the test in an ingroup-enhancing fashion, whereas those low in collective self-esteem did not. Analyses based on personal self-esteem did not show this interaction. We conclude that collective self-esteem is an individual difference variable that may moderate the attempt to maintain a positive social identity. The relation between collective and personal self-esteem is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between social connectedness and anxiety, self-esteem, and social identity.

Social connectedness and its relationship with anxiety, self-esteem, and social identity was explored in the lives of women. Social connectedness was negatively related to trait anxiety and made a larger unique contribution to trait anxiety than social support or collective self-esteem. Women with high connectedness also reported greater social identification in high, as compared with low, cohesion conditions. Women with low connectedness exhibited no difference in either condition. Social connectedness was also positively related to state self-esteem across both conditions but did not have an effect on state anxiety. Future research in gender and cultural differences, self-evaluation process, and intervention strategies are discussed in light of the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and the impact of job loss on older professionals.

Unemployment presents important psychological problems for all age groups, but the impact of job loss may be particularly severe for older workers. Participants in our study were 35 members of a self-help organization for unemployed professionals over the age of 40. Three types of variables were measured, (a) stressors, which were length of unemployment, financial concerns, and six functionally different types of social support; (b) stress symptoms, which were self-esteem, depression, physical health symptoms, psychological symptoms, and locus of control; and (c) job seeking behaviors. Our results indicated that financial concerns and social support stressors significantly predicted a number of the stress symptoms. Specific types of social support exhibited varied patterns of relations to these stress symptoms. The perceived availability of "reassurance of worth" support, provided in other contexts frequently by work colleagues, seemed to be most strongly related to positive self-esteem, internal locus of control, and more job-seeking efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of child-centered play therapy on the self-esteem, locus of control, and anxiety of at-risk 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students.

Addresses the impact of child-centered play therapy on the self-esteem, locus of control, and anxiety level of at-risk 4th, 5th, and 6th grade children. The two groups of students, those who participated in play therapy and those who did not participate in play therapy, were administered the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale—Revised, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. While the results indicate that children participating in play therapy did not change, the students not participating in play therapy demonstrated a decrease in both self-esteem and locus of control over the course of the school year. These findings indicate that an intervention, such as play therapy, may be needed to prevent at-risk children from developing lower self esteem and from reducing their sense of responsibility for their academic successes and failures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudinal differences between heterosexually and homosexually oriented males and between covert and overt male homosexuals.

Examined 276 questionnaires completed by male patrons of 26 bars in 3 Texas cities. Linear discriminant analysis was utilized to test the null hypothesis between each pair of S groups on self-esteem, personal competence, self-acceptance, purpose in life, powerlessness, normlessness, social isolation, alienation, status concern, social responsibility, age, occupation, marital status, education, and average annual income. These independent variables, taken as a set, were able to differentiate between each pair of S groups; thus, the null hypotheses were rejected. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multidimensional construct of self-esteem.

Presents a multidimensional conceptualization of self-esteem containing 4 dimensions: primary and conditional bases of self-acceptance, real-ideal congruence, and self-evaluation. The construct was empirically tested through 396 White, middle-class, suburban adolescents' self-reports to items describing esteem-related feelings and behaviors. Analysis produced a 4-dimensional structure embracing 7 item clusters highly congruent with the hypothesized construct. Item clusters included Well Being, Being Known, Showing Feeling, Social Sources (of self-acceptance), Performance Sources (of self-acceptance), Real-Ideal Congruence, and Self-Evaluation. Contrasts across sex and age subgroups showed comparable factor structures and item cluster correlations. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significantly higher esteem on some clusters among females and older youth. Lower self-esteem was significantly correlated with higher reported stress and unwillingness to cooperate. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.

Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of perceptions of personal control on reactions to stressful events.

To test the assumption that beliefs of high personal control predispose individuals to greater stress in the face of difficult life events, clients and nonclients holding high, moderate, and low perceptions of personal control completed measures related to the occurrence of stressful events. Ss were a sample of 46 clients and 2 samples of 67 and 145 nonclients, respectively, at a large university. Beliefs of personal control were measured by H. Levenson's (1972) Internality Scale (developed from a revision of Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale). Stress at the time of psychological help-seeking was assessed by comparing clients and nonclients on self-esteem and perceptions of control over recent life events. Ss also indicated the degree of stress they associated with experiences of social isolation and powerlessness. As predicted, high internals generally reported higher stress than moderate or low internals; and high internal clients, in comparison with nonclient controls, reported lower self-esteem, higher stress, and less control over recent events. Low internal clients generally did not behave as predicted. Implications for counseling goals and treatment plans are discussed. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of perceived and experienced control among alcoholics and nonalcoholics.

Reports that alcoholics and nonalcoholics, matched on age and education, did not differ on perceived locus of control. Alcoholics experienced having proportionately less control over both internal and external pressures than nonalcoholics. The implication of results in relation to alcoholics' drinking behavior is discussed within a social learning framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem: A self-social construct.

Defines self-esteem within a context of self-other orientation, and describes an instrument which is designed to measure the evaluation of the self in relation to significant others using topological representations of self and others and involving limited verbal demands. Results of a program of research are described which emanate from an evolving theory of social self-esteem. Results suggest that self-acceptance and social acceptance are inextricably combined and raise serious doubts about the meaning of earlier results concerning self-esteem which were based upon verbal self-reports. (40 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coming out in the age of the Internet: Identity "demarginalization" through virtual group participation.

Internet newsgroups allow individuals to interact with others in a relatively anonymous fashion and thereby provide individuals with concealable stigmatized identities a place to belong not otherwise available. Thus, membership in these groups should become an important part of identity. Study 1 found that members of newsgroups dealing with marginalized–concealable identities modified their newsgroup behavior on the basis of reactions of other members, unlike members of marginalized–conspicuous or mainstream newsgroups. This increase in identity importance from newsgroup participation was shown in both Study 2 (marginalized sexual identities) and Study 3 (marginalized ideological identities) to lead to greater self-acceptance, as well as coming out about the secret identity to family and friends. Results supported the view that Internet groups obey general principles of social group functioning and have real-life consequences for the individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of a psychoeducational program on adolescents' activity involvement, self-esteem, and locus of control

Adolescents' participation in extracurricular activities is related to a number of variables, such as higher grade point average, increased self-esteem, and lower absenteeism. This research, part of a larger longitudinal study, was designed to determine whether a short, psychoeducational intervention, the personal empowerment program, would affect adolescents' level of involvement in activities, their self-esteem, or their locus of control. Fifty-two ninth-grade students who were average participators were randomly selected and assigned to either the empowerment program or control group. Students were surveyed six months after the program. Analyses of covariance using pretest scores as the covariates indicated that students who participated in the program maintained their level of activity involvement during the transition to high school, a time when participation generally decreases. The program did not produce significant changes in self-esteem or locus of control. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Multilevel modeling of self-esteem change during acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Objective: To explore self-esteem change during inpatient stroke rehabilitation and moderators of change. Research Method: One hundred twenty survivors of stroke serially completed the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) during inpatient rehabilitation, as well as measures of mood and perceived recovery as potential moderators of change. Age, gender, prior stroke, prestroke depression, stroke laterality, and admission Functional Independence Measure (FIM) self-care, mobility, and cognitive scores were also included as moderators. Results: Multilevel modeling of the repeated administrations of the SSES indicated that self-esteem significantly improved during rehabilitation. Female gender, left hemisphere stroke, prior stroke, and lower admission FIM cognitive scores were associated with lower self-esteem ratings at admission, but only age and admission FIM self-care and mobility scores were associated with self-esteem change. Older individuals showed less self-esteem improvement than younger individuals, and higher self-care and mobility scores at admission were associated with greater self-esteem improvement. While mood change significantly covaried with self-esteem, the rate of mood change did not appear to influence rate of self-esteem change. Greater improvement in self-esteem over time was related to lower levels of perceived recovery, but this was likely because of the relationship between perceived recovery and self-esteem at rehabilitation admission. Implications: These results suggest that self-esteem improves during inpatient rehabilitation, and this change may be partially dependent on functional status. Implications for facilitating self-esteem change by the clinician are discussed, as well as future research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Resilience Against Discrimination: Ethnic Identity and Other-Group Orientation as Protective Factors for Korean Americans.

This study investigated the resilience of 84 Korean American college students in the context of perceived ethnic discrimination. Two cultural resources, multidimensional ethnic identity and other-group orientation, were hypothesized as protective factors that moderate the negative effects of discrimination. Only 1 aspect of ethnic identity was found to have a moderation effect. Specifically, ethnic identity pride operated as a protective-reactive factor that moderated the effects of discrimination on depressive symptoms and social connectedness but not on self-esteem. Ethnic identity pride and perceived discrimination had first-order effects on self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, psychosocial resources, and depressive symptomatology during pregnancy in low-income, inner-city women.

The authors examined the prospective influence of stress, self-esteem, and social support on the postpartum depressive symptoms of 191 inner-city women (139 European Americans and 52 African Americans) over 3 waves of data collection. Depressive symptomatology was measured by multiple indicators, including self-report and clinical scales. Women became less depressed as they move from prenatal to postpartum stages and adjusted to their pregnancy and its consequences. LISREL and regression analyses indicated that stress was related to increased depression, whereas greater income and social support were related to decreased depression. Self-esteem was related to lower depression at the prenatal and postpartum periods but not to change in depression from the prenatal to the postpartum period. The results also indicated that self-esteem and social support did not have additional stress-buffering effects over and above their direct effects on depression. Finally, African American women did not differ from European American women terms of depression or in terms of how they were impacted by stress or psychosocial resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)