Understanding the Vital Human Quest for Self-Esteem

摘要

Authors have long noted the human penchantfor self-esteem. Experimental research has revealed thatthis desire for self-esteem has wide-ranging effects on cognition, emotion, and behavior. Terror management theory explains that this desire for self-esteem results froma fundamental need for psychological security, which is engendered by humans' awareness of their own vulnera-bility and mortality. A large body of evidence has sup-ported this explanation. Specifically, substantial lines ofresearch have shown that self-esteem buffers anxiety andreduces defenses against death and that reminders ofmortality increase efforts to defend and bolster self-es-teem. Complementary, findings have helped clarify the roleof culture in self-esteem striving and the ways in which people can vary in their level, stability, and sources of self-esteem. I conclude by briefly considering how this con-temporary knowledge regarding the quest for self-esteem informs current events and daily life.