A structural analysis of self-esteem from pre-adolescence through young adulthood: anxiety and extraversion as agents in the development of self-esteem.

Abstract

Three personality scales designed to measure similar dimensions in different age ranges--the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), and Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ)--were administered along with varieties of Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) to three samples aged (on average) 21 (N = 71), 15 (N = 91), and 10 (N = 89) years. The results indicated considerable stability in the personality correlates of self-esteem at these ages. Consideration of these personality dimensions at the second-order level indicated that it was anxiety and extraversion factors that consistently appeared as significant correlates. These observations were considered in light of the source trait-surface trait distinction made by Cattell (1957). One hypothesis is that children raised in a warm and accepting environment develop lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of extraversion. This leads to increased interpersonal contact and more opportunity for social feedback and enhanced self-regard. While the precise order of events is uncertain, the literature reviewed is consistent with the proposal that anxiety, extraversion, and self-esteem can be related to similar home environments.