The study I am reading shows this result. Could it be because self-esteem is a cultural construct and not universal?
According to my opinion self-esteem as an attitude is influenced by optimism, since when a person focuses on power points instead of week points( optimism), he/ she can improve his/her believe about the ability of doing some things and also the feeling about being valuable person.
Most adaptive variables are going to be correlated in some way, because -for instance - most people who are optimistic also use healthy coping strategies and are more successful in relationships, etc. So, it stands to reason that they would also be having enough successes to develop feelings of self-esteem. There is bi-directionality to consider as well. As an example, if a person has a strong sense of self-esteem, then it is likely that they may view the future with some sense of ability or confidence (e.g., optimism). Finally, I am unsure if I agree that self-esteem is solely a cultural construct; yes, some cultures may place more or less value on self worth versus group values, but anyone in any culture can manifest positive evaluations of her/his self (e.g., self esteem).
Thank you. So there seems to be a lot dependent on where we place certain things. Some studies are merely showing optimism as a coping strategy. Where items are placed & how they are defined really does make such a difference. A study I read recently talked of how in countries like Zambia etc self-esteem does not exist and how it is a westernised construct but again perhaps there are multiple definitions of self-esteem. I totally agree that one would expect positive concepts of self but have not looked at self-esteem in enough depth as I have optimism. I am curious about the relationship from an empirical stance. Perhaps I should spend some time on that relationship going forward to understand how it interacts with optimism and coping. Thanks so much for your input. Most helpful.
Self-esteem is a personal matter; the name itself suggests that. Obviously it is not universal.
Great question, Merisa. I believe work my Martin Seligman, particularly is work on learned optimism, would be a good next-step for discovering your answer.
Beneath the psychology, into the biology, I have an untested/un-researched hypothesis that optimism and self-esteem are either (a) similarly influenced by the reward/activation system in the brain and/or (2) physically composed of (represented by) portions of the same neural networks. This hunch is drawn from observations of people under the effects of stimulants.
For a common example, consider a person under the initial impacts of alcohol consumption (alcohol acts as a stimulant while BAC is rising, then a depressant as BAC plateau's and declines). Energy, motion, and talking tend to increase. Daring/foolish physical acts are attempted. More laughter is heard. Things that a person would feel un-confident or nervous to do now seem much less daunting (e.g. approaching an attractive stranger). Boasts are more common. Clearly, these people are more optimistic and have higher self-esteem. Contrast that to your own confidence and optimism at the end of a long, tiring day.
Notice also that fear seems to have an inverse relationship with both optimism and self-esteem.
Hi Jim. It does seem that further exploration is necessary. I understand your examples however I do feel the current definition of optimism do not actually capture the essence of it. I believe it is necessary to look at optimism from a multi-dimensional perspective in the same way Buinniks & Malle have for hope. I shall have to dig out some of your works on learned optimism to plot it against some of my hypothetical construct. After my concept analysis it will be interesting to look into this relationship further. It is a very interesting hypothesis that they might originate from the same neural networks, at least in part.
A multi-dimensional model of optimism sounds fascinating. I would also say groundbreaking, but I'm not familiar enough with the literature to make that claim. Can you share some of the concept map . . . some of the ways you're thinking about optimism multi-dimensionally?
Hi Jim, I would love to share I am so excited in fact but being an undergraduate I am still learning how this all works and have a paper going in for peer review so would like to wait for a while on the details so that I can feel ownership of a little piece of something exciting! I hope you understand. I shall mail you some details in due course. Thank you so much for engaging and helping me. Merisa
I absolutely understand. You're and undergraduate and you've got a paper on its way to peer review?! That's incredible. Congratulations, just making the attempt is an accomplishment on its own. I look forward to hearing more.
Fingers crossed it gets accepted... The process is worth it just for learning. Hopefully it will prove to be one of many! :)