Self-esteem Protection Research Articles

Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Freelance Professional Musicians

With the onset of public life restrictions in the COVID 19 pandemic in March 2020, freelance professional musicians were exposed to significant pandemic-related restrictions in exercising their profession. Due to the particular working conditions, this professional group was already considered high at risk in terms of mental health before the pandemic. The present study investigates the level of mental distress among professional musicians during the pandemic in relation to basic mental health needs and help-seeking behaviour. In July and August 2021, psychological distress was measured in a nationwide sample of N=209 professional musicians using the ICD-10 Symptom Checklist (ISR). In addition, the extent to which the musicians' basic psychological needs are met and whether they would seek professional psychological help was determined. Compared to various control groups before and during the pandemic, professional musicians showed significantly higher levels of psychological symptoms than the general population before and during the pandemic. Regression analyses support the assumption that pandemic-related changes in the basic psychological needs of pleasure or displeasure avoidance, self-esteem enhancement or self-esteem protection and attachment have a significant influence on the expression of depression symptoms. The musicians' help-seeking behaviour, on the other hand, decreases with an increase in depression symptoms. Due to the high overall psychological stress among freelance musicians, there is a need for action, especially in the provision of specially adapted psychosocial support services.

Motives of the self and brand hate

PurposeConsumer–brand relationship literature has seen a recent surge of work on the concept of brand hate. Considering that hate is not easily acknowledged, it is challenging to uncover the psychological mechanisms that underpin its development. Using the concept of “self” as over-arching theory, this study aims to uncover consumers’ psychological triggers for hating a brand by providing contextualized perspectives from the informants.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an interpretive approach focused on exploring the role of self in explaining the development of brand hate. Data is collected through 25 in-depth interviews and inductively analysed using the NVivo 12.FindingsThe findings of the study align with the motivational perspective of hate discussed in psychology literature. Six psychological strategies (coping, moral consciousness, ego defense, self-esteem protection, power reinstatement, and self-concept strengthening) cater to three motives of the self (self-preservation, self-defense, and self-enhancement).Originality/valueThe current study uses an interdisciplinary approach and draws perspectives from psychology, sociology and interpersonal relationship theories to study consumer brand hate. It uncovers the subconscious mechanisms that lead to the germination of brand hate and provides answers to unexplained and missing pieces in the existing literature. In particular, it offers a detailed perspective on how self-related motives can explain the psychology of brand hate.

How parenting styles affect children’s creativity: Through the lens of self

Parenting style is an important contributor to the development of children’s creativity. We aimed to examine the association between parenting style and children's creativity and the internal mechanism from the lens of self. Specifically, we explored the association between a positive/negative parenting style and children's subjective/objective creativity, and the mediating role of self-esteem in these associations. Moreover, the moderating role of subjective socioeconomic status was examined. Questionnaire-based data were collected from 329 student–parent pairs. The students completed a demographic questionnaire that assessed gender, age, and socioeconomic status; the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale-Revised; the subjective creativity scales; and the objective creativity scales. At the same time, students’ parents completed the parenting style scale. We found that a positive parenting style was positively associated with both subjective and objective creativity, and that a negative parenting style was negatively associated with objective creativity. In addition, the mediation models indicated that the parenting styles were associated directly and indirectly, via the level of self-esteem, with children's creativity. Specifically, subjective socioeconomic status had a moderating effect between self-esteem and subjective creativity under a positive parenting style. The results indicate that a positive parenting style is better for the development of children's creativity. In addition, this study suggests that the protection and promotion of children's self-esteem is important for cultivating children's creativity, especially in high subjective socioeconomic status families.

You Attract what You Are: The Effect of Unconscious Needs on Micro-Psychokinesis

Quantum-based psychophysical correlation models offer an attractive framework for predicting mind-matter interactions. We report a test of such interactions in the form of observer effects on quantum-based random number generator (QRNG) outcomes. Specifically, we tested the influence of certain motive states on related stimulus presentations chosen by the QRNG. Deviations from randomness were expected among participants exhibiting high incongruence (HI) characteristics but not among those who exhibited low incongruence (LI). Our first experiment, testing the effects of three psychological needs—attachment, self-esteem protection, and control— with a Bayesian analysis yielded anecdotal evidence for H1 only for self-esteem-related stimuli within the HI group. The second experiment was a selective continuation of the promising self-esteem protection condition, exploring the further sequential course of evidence for H1 and its oscillation over time. Our criterion for confirming H1 was initially reached in the target group. Shortly thereafter, a decline to a final result of anecdotal evidence for H1 occurred. To test the systematic trend in the data against chance fluctuations, further post hoc analyses comparing the maximum Bayes Factor, the curve’s energy, and frequency spectrum analysis between both groups to 10,000 simulations were performed. These analyses indicated that the HI subsample’s data differed significantly from chance fluctuations, whereas the LI subsample’s data did not. In sum, the results suggest that core affectively laden subconscious beliefs can manifest through volatile yet statistically detectable deviations from quantum randomness when precisely triggered by an adequate task.

GENDER DIFFERENCES REGARDING WORKAHOLISM AND WORK-RELATED VARIABLES

The term ‘workaholism’ was first coined by Wayne Oates (1971), and since then it has been conceptualized in a variety of ways. Most researchers agree, however, that a defining feature of workaholism is that it involves an inner compulsion to work, in which people constantly think about work (Beiler-May et al. 2017). Conclusions on workaholism are often contradictory, which may reflect a shortage of research results (Burke 1999). This also applies to research on gender differences regarding workaholism and work-related variables. The results of several studies (e.g. Burgess, Burke and Oberklaid 2006; Burke 1999; Doerfler and Kammer 1986; Spence and Robbins 1992) have been equivocal (some of them indicate that there is no relationship between gender and workaholism, while others suggest that workaholism is related to gender). The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in five workaholism factors and the work-related variables of perfectionism and self-handicapping. Three hundred and fourteen participants (Mean age = 29.29; SD = 12.02) took part in the study. Questionnaires were administered in a paper version. Workaholism was measured using the 25-item Work Addiction Risk Test (Robinson 1998) in Polish adaptation (Wojdyło 2005), which measures different facets of workaholism (Obsession/Compulsion, Emotional Arousal/Perfectionism; Overdoing, Outcome Orientation and Self-Worth). To test perfectionism The Polish Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism Questionnaire (Szczucka 2010) was used. Self-handicapping strategies were measured using the Anticipative Strategy of Self-Esteem Protection Scale (Doliński and Szmajke 1994). Females and males were found to differ on workaholism. Women were significantly higher on average in workaholism than men (a significant difference appeared in two of the five components: Overdoing and Emotional Arousal/Perfectionism). Females also reported higher levels of maladaptive perfectionism, which is considered as a workaholic job behavior. Gender differences have also been observed in self-handicapping strategies. Women were characterized by a stronger tendency towards self-justification then men. Males, on the other hand, declared stronger emotional resilience than women. These patterns of results are consistent with the results obtained in a previous study regarding gender differences in using self-handicapping strategies (Doliński and Szmajke 1994). The obtained results can be interpreted through the prism of the roles and tasks currently given to women. On the one hand, in light of social norms, a woman should take care of the household and family, while a man is responsible for earning money to support the family (Blair-Loy 2003). On the other hand, participation of women in the workforce is increasing (Peeters, Montgomery, Bakker and Schaufeli 2005), so they may find it difficult to reconcile work and fulfilling the demands of the roles of spouses, mothers or caregivers. Our study show that women may feel more overloaded with work and they have a higher level of emotional factors than men regarding workaholism. However, one may wonder whether women’s workaholism is still underestimated.Women may find it more difficult to admit that they feel an inner compulsion to work due to gender-differentiated societal norms and expectations (Beiler-May et al. 2017: 109).

The Motive Of Wearing A Face Veil In The Early Islam: Two Narratives Of Prophetic Traditions

This article discusses the motives for wearing a face veil in early Islam. With the lens of prophetic historical reflection, it focuses on two narratives of the hadith on veil: the Arab women who sold in the market of Bani Qaynuqa‘ and ‘Aishah on hadith al-ifk. This article argues that the motives of covering their faces has close related to the situation and conditions occurred at the time. Historically, the two stories explained that wearing a face veil as a protection of dignity and self-esteem from an uncomfortable milieu. Sociologically, the face veil was cultural habits in guarding women from any social disorders and negative treatment. While psychologically, wearing a face veil symbolized the purity of an honor and the high value of personality embedded in the dignity of women so as not to invite a slander.

Prinsip-Prinsip Hidup Masyarakat Madura seperti Terkisah dalam Cerita Rakyatnya

The purpose of this study is to explain the Madurese principles towards life using folktales perspectives. The focus of this study is to describe how Madurese principles are reflected in Ma-durese folktales. The data of this study were 32 legends obtained from informants living in several regencies in Madura. The method used to collect the data was interview. The method used to analyze the data was the Miles and Huberman’s interactive data analysis model. From the data analysis, it has been found that the 32 legends contain 10 Madurese principals which have not been revealed before. The principles are: the appreciation towards water, the appreciation towards trees, the protection of self-esteem, the ownership of the provision of life, the respect for women, the precaution attitude, the belief in the purification of the inner self, the belief in the importance of religious knowledge, and the respect for kiai.

Identity Work: Enactment of Racial-Ethnic Identity in Everyday Life

ABSTRACTIn this theoretical analysis, we discuss the attributional and enactment approaches to identity and present a new ethnic-racial identity enactment model derived from extant theory and research. We highlight modes of identity work that provide (1) self-concept and self-esteem protection; (2) achievement and success during everyday encounters; (3) a sense of belonging and attachment to one’s ascriptive group; and (4) the relation between internalized oppression and internalized racism in everyday exchanges. We discuss the integration of self-concept mechanisms with mindsets and intentions specific to ethnic-racial identity dynamics. The article ends by highlighting a research procedure that fuses the attributional and enactment approaches to identity research.

IQ and Defense Mechanisms Assessed with the TAT

Abstract. The concept of defense mechanism has a long history in psychoanalysis and clinical psychopathology. The function of defenses has been modified over the years, from a counter-force against instincts to the protection of self-esteem. To understand the role of defenses in pathological and normal development, a coding method to use with Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories – the Defense Mechanism Manual ( Cramer, 1991a ) – has been developed and validated. Three broad defenses – Denial, Projection, and Identification – may be coded with this method. The article presents examples of TAT stories that have been coded for defense use. These show how defense use changes after a period of psychotherapy, and how defenses change with age. Evidence for reliability and validity is provided, both from correlational and experimental studies. The remainder of the paper focuses on the relation between the use of defense mechanisms and intelligence. Research has shown that the two ego functions of defense and IQ are not correlated in childhood and adolescence, but are correlated in adulthood defenses and IQ. Importantly, IQ serves as a moderator for the effect of defense use on variables such as psychiatric symptom change, level of Ego Development, and Big Five personality traits.

Estime de soi chez des élèves scolarisés en classe d’inclusion scolaire (CLIS)

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze self-esteem development of disabled pupils schooled in an inclusive classrooms (CLIS). Recent laws emphasize the importance of disabled people's inclusion in ordinary places. Concerning primary school, this is materialized by CLIS which are classes hosting disabled children in an ordinary school. In this configuration, disabled pupils must have inclusion time in another classroom of the school, in an individual way (a pupil joins another classroom) and/or in a collective way (the CLIS joins another classroom). Those inclusions would deliver pedagogic, educational and personal benefits. Specifically, concerning personal benefits, CLIS would give to these pupils possibility to feel appreciated. To our knowledge, no study has focused on the impact of type of inclusion applied in CLIS on self-esteem levels of disabled children; while this seems to be a substantial factor in self-esteem modulation. The inclusion applied even individual and/or collective, the age and gender of pupils are they factors suspected to guide self-esteem? We focus on the Harter model (1986) related to multidimensional and hierarchic self-esteem. We also refer to Martinot (2002) who develops different self-esteem protection strategies and to the Marsh model (1987) concerning the “Big fish little pond effect”. Methods and populationForty pupils with cognitive troubles schooled into six CLIS (20 girls and 20 boys), aged 7 to 12years old (A=10.15; SD=2.08), filled the French version of the Harter questionnaire (1985): Self Perception Profile for Children translated by Pierrehumbert, Plancherel and Jankech-Caretta (1987). Forty-five percent of the pupils are individually included, 37.5 % are collectively included and 17.5 % are both included individually and collectively. ResultsOur results reveal that pupils individually included and with both inclusions have a social self-esteem higher that those who are only collectively included. Social self-esteem is modulated by the effect of interaction between age and gender. The age of the pupils is influencing the global self-esteem. ConclusionResults underline the weight of social comparison in self-esteem structure of pupils schooled in CLIS. Those who seek to maintain favored status in order to valorize themselves, which seems to be feasible by individual inclusion. Considering these results would directly influence the daily practice of professionals close to these pupils.

Exaggerated Positivity in Self‐Evaluation: A Social Neuroscience Approach to Reconciling the Role of Self‐esteem Protection and Cognitive Bias

AbstractRecent neuroscience research provides new insight into why people tend to view themselves through rose‐colored glasses and suggests a different approach for improving self‐insight. Rose‐colored glasses (sometimes referred to as positive illusions, positivity bias, self‐serving bias, self‐enhancement, or overconfidence) are a pervasive characteristic of self‐evaluation. While it is intuitive to think about rose‐colored glasses as a self‐esteem protection tactic, research has shown that people tend to exaggerate their positive attributes even when self‐esteem is not at stake. This raises questions about the relation of the exaggerated positivity used to protect self‐esteem to the exaggerated positivity seen in other circumstances. Are people using a consistent thought pattern to overemphasize their positive attributes which generalizes across situations regardless of whether self‐esteem is at stake? Or is there something different about the way people go about overemphasizing their positive attributes when coping with a threat to self‐esteem? Recent neuroscience research supports the latter: inducing the need for self‐esteem protection changes the neural profile underlying exaggerated positivity. When self‐esteem is threatened, exaggerated positivity in self‐evaluation engages orbitofrontal cortex and a functional network of increased basal ganglia activation and decreased middle frontal gyrus activation. In contrast, exaggerated positivity arising in the absence of self‐esteem threat tends to reduce orbitofrontal cortex activation and its functional connectivity with the temporal, occipital, and frontal lobes. This discovery suggests that not all rose‐colored glasses are created equally and, therefore, curtailing them may require different interventions depending on whether self‐esteem protection is their underlying driving force.

Illusion of Control

The illusion of control consists of overestimating the influence that our behavior exerts over uncontrollable outcomes. Available evidence suggests that an important factor in development of this illusion is the personal involvement of participants who are trying to obtain the outcome. The dominant view assumes that this is due to social motivations and self-esteem protection. We propose that this may be due to a bias in contingency detection which occurs when the probability of the action (i.e., of the potential cause) is high. Indeed, personal involvement might have been often confounded with the probability of acting, as participants who are more involved tend to act more frequently than those for whom the outcome is irrelevant and therefore become mere observers. We tested these two variables separately. In two experiments, the outcome was always uncontrollable and we used a yoked design in which the participants of one condition were actively involved in obtaining it and the participants in the other condition observed the adventitious cause-effect pairs. The results support the latter approach: Those acting more often to obtain the outcome developed stronger illusions, and so did their yoked counterparts.

Anatomical correlates of self-handicapping tendency

Self-handicaps are obstacles created (or claimed) by individuals in anticipation of failure. Despite the vast amount of psychological research on self-handicapping tendency, the neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in self-handicapping tendency in young and healthy subjects are unknown. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and a questionnaire to measure individual self-handicapping tendency, and we investigated the association between regional gray matter volume (rGMV) and self-handicapping tendency across the brain in healthy young adult (mean age, 21.3 years; standard deviation – SD = 1.9) men (n = 94) and women (n = 91). We discovered that higher individual self-handicapping tendency was associated with larger rGMV in the subgenual cingulate gyrus (sgCG). A wide range of previous studies showed (a) the opposite pattern is seen in the association between rGMV in the sgCG and depression and (b) this area is active when negative emotions are suppressed. The present results suggest that the sgCG is also involved in self-handicapping, which is a behavior thought to be engaged in the protection of self-esteem.

Environmental Worry as Correlate of Self-Esteem among Employed and Unemployed People in Oil Industry

This study explored the relationship between environmental worry and self-esteem using 116 participants with mean age 31 years. The participants consisted of 69 males and 47 females out of which 78 were employed and 38 unemployed selected randomly from the oil producing industrial environment in Nigeria. Data were collected through a survey method using standardized questionnaires. The result showed that there was significant inverse relationship (P < .05) between environmental worry and self-esteem. The t-test independent result indicated that there was no significant difference (P > .05) between self–esteem of employed and unemployed participants as well as between male and female participants. The implication of oil industry pollution on protection of self-esteem was discussed for government to show concern about environmental pollution due to oil pollution.

Self-Esteem at School and Self-Handicapping in Childhood: Comparison of Groups with Learning Disabilities

Recent research has focused on the role of self-esteem and self-handicapping strategies in the school domain. Self-handicapping refers to maladaptive strategies employed by adults and children for protection and maintenance of positive school self esteem. In this study the self-esteem and the self-handicapping strategies of children with dyslexia, reading comprehension disabilities, and mathematical disabilities were compared to a control group with normal learning. There were 56 children whose mean age was 8 (23 girls, 33 boys), attending Grade 3 of primary school. These pupils were selected by scores on a battery of learning tests commonly used in Italy for assessment of learning disabilities. Analyses suggested these children with dyslexia, reading comprehension disabilities, and mathematical disabilities had lower ratings of self-esteem at school and employed more self-handicapping strategies than did children whose learning was normal. More research is required to identify and examine in depth the factors that promote adaptive strategies to cope with children's reading difficulties.

Relationships between competitive anxiety, social support and self-handicapping in youth sport

Relationships between competitive anxiety, social support and self-handicapping in youth sport Study aim: To assess the level of self-handicapping tendency, competitive anxiety (trait) and social support within groups of young male and female athletes, as well as to determine the relationships between those variables. Material and methods: A group of 75 athletes (46 male football players and 29 female volleyball players) from Sport Mastery School in Łódź, aged 16 - 19 years, participated in the study. Three questionnaires were administered: Anticipative Strategy of Self-Esteem Protection Scale (ASO) to measure self-handicapping tendency, Social Support Scale (SWS) and Reactions to Competition (RnW), in order to measure the competition-related anxiety (trait). Results: Female athletes attained significantly higher scores in ASO and RnW while male players perceived their social support higher than girls. No significant correlations between self-handicapping and anxiety were found. Most of the observed relationships between self-handicapping and social support were negative, like those between anxiety and social support. Conclusions: It is advisable to work with young athletes on eliminating self-handicapping activities and replacing them with other, more efficient, ways of coping with anxiety. Social support (adequate to the athlete's needs) might be crucial in that proceeding. The hypothesis of relationship between sport competitive anxiety and self-handicapping was not confirmed, maybe due to the relatively small number of subjects.

Myalgien – Eine psychosomatische Sicht: Zwei Kasuistiken

An overview is given of the psychosomatic component of myalgia by taking the multidisciplinary bio-psycho-social model of Engel into account. Based on two cases, it is shown that socio-psychological pressures and learn-psychological aspects have a high impact on the process of the disease. It turns out that a long-term alleviation of myalgia is only possible if, in addition to physical symptoms, the psychological function of these complaints (e. g., psychological relief, protection of self-esteem) will be considered as well. Therefore, the therapeutic approach for myalgia should be psychosomatic with the intention of creating a relationship between the mental and the physical states.

Cognitive therapy for violence: reaching the parts that anger management doesn't reach

In forensic clinical settings, the most popular model for working with violence has been anger management, which uses a cognitive behavioural approach to explain how stimuli may cause anger via a series of information processing biases. There seem to be a variety of cognitions and thinking processes that are either more common or more extreme in individuals who behave violently. Despite concerns about meta-analytic reviews of treatment effectiveness, and reservations about the relevance of anger management for reducing violence and reoffending, its use is widely advocated in prison and secure settings. We have suggested that low self-esteem is central to violence rather than high self-esteem, but that self-esteem may appear high. Combining cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic approaches produces a formulation that can be used for treatment incorporating not only emotional and behavioural work but also reconstruction of core beliefs and dysfunctional assumptions (rules). It is proposed that because important cognitions relating to violence also relate to self-esteem and the protection of (false inflated) low self-esteem in the face of humiliation, any intervention for violence must also account for a fragile inner sense of self-esteem which, it is proposed, has a causal relationship (along with other factors) with violence. The approach presented here includes a number of core therapeutic tasks. A case study is described to demonstrate its application. It offers a structured but flexible and individually tailored approach to working clinically with violence.

False inflated self-esteem and violence: a systematic review and cognitive model

Traditionally, much research into violence has focussed on risk factors rather than on perpetrators' perspectives on their violent acts and the powerful psychological influences on those individuals' violent behaviour. In forensic settings, the most popular model for working with violence has been anger management, which uses a cognitive behavioural approach to explain how triggers may cause anger and violence via a series of information processing biases. Interestingly, an area that receives less attention in the cognitive behavioural literature on violence and anger is the role of embarrassment and humiliation (‘dis’respect), and their opposites respect and pride (or healthy self-esteem). However, psychodynamic perspectives put humiliation at the centre of causes of violence, coupled with coping and social problem-solving deficits resulting from disrupted attachments. Despite the absence of a focus on self-esteem in models of and treatments for aggression and violence, there is some recent research evidence that suggests a complicated relationship between the two, but generally favours a link between low self-esteem and violence. This paper systematically reviews studies from the last 20 years evaluating the relationship between self-esteem and violence. A theoretical model is subsequently presented in an attempt to integrate ideas about self-esteem, ‘machismo’, and violence. It is proposed that important cognitions relating to violence also relate to self-esteem and the (arrogant or aggressive) protection of low self-esteem in the face of humiliation. Violence can be seen as a ‘macho’ response which allows the perpetrator to express and discharge unpleasant feelings associated with threat, and simultaneously serves a ‘social’ function by injuring the victim who provoked the assault, demonstrating strength to others, and restoring some level of ‘pride’ (saving face).

The Pursuit of Self‐Esteem: Contingencies of Self‐Worth and Self‐Regulation

Successful self-regulation is defined as the willingness to exert effort toward one's most important goals, while taking setbacks and failures as opportunities to learn, identify weaknesses and address them, and develop new strategies toward achieving those goals. Contingencies of self-worth can facilitate self-regulation because people are highly motivated to succeed and avoid failure in domains of contingency. However, because boosts in self-esteem are pleasurable and drops in self-esteem are painful, protection, maintenance, and enhancement of self-esteem can become the overriding goal. Several pitfalls for self-regulation can result, especially when tasks are difficult and failure is likely. In this article, we describe a program of research examining these self-regulation pitfalls associated with contingent self-worth and suggest that learning orientations, particularly the willingness to embrace failure for the learning it affords, foster successful self-regulation even in people with highly contingent self-esteem.