**********************************************************************
Contingencies of Self-Worth
Jenny Crocker
Is self-esteem important? In the past decade, psychologists have witnessed
the
self-esteem "movement", which argued that raising children's self-esteem
can
help solve social problems from aggression to teenage pregnancy, followed
by
attacks on the idea that raising self-esteem can solve social problems.
I will
argue that confusion about the social importance of self-esteem stems,
in
part, from an overemphasis on level of self-esteem-whether it is high
or
low-to the exclusion of other dimensions, such as what that self-esteem
is
based on, or contingencies of self-worth. I will argue that contingencies
of
self-worth shape the situations we choose, the activities we engage
in, and
our psychological vulnerabilities. Consequently, understanding the
consequences of self-esteem requires examining the contingencies on
which
people stake their self-worth as well as knowing whether self-esteem
is high
or low. In my talk, I will report the development of a new measure
of
contingencies of self-worth, and describe research that explores the
implications of contingencies of self-worth for self-regulation and
psychological vulnerabilities.
**************************************************************
Students in Cog 352 can recieve 2 extra credit points for attending
this colloquium.
Just make sure you sign in with Trina.