Self-Esteem Research, Theory, and Practice Toward a Positive ...

IntroductionPerhaps the most important question to ask about a third edition is whyshould anyone invest the time and energy to read or to write one? Ofcourse, the most common answer is to update and expand a particularbody of work or line of thought. That rationale was certainly true of thesecond edition, which was aimed at adding more recent research findingsand defending the concept of self-esteem against the onslaught of criticismthat arose in response to what is commonly referred to as the selfesteemmovement. However, this third edition has different origins.Over the past few years, the approach to the research, theory, andpractice of self-esteem presented here seems to have generated some interest.Sometimes, for instance, I would see reference being made to it in anumber of professional articles. Various Web sites started to refer to themodel of self-esteem being developed here. Then, the self-esteem matrixappeared in college texts. More important, major researchers in the fieldalso seemed to take notice. One of them, Michael Kernis (2006), went sofar as to invite me to write a couple of chapters for a book he is authoringthat I believe is sure to be a classic in the psychology of self-esteem.Just then, I was also in a position to take a sabbatical from BowlingGreen State University Firelands College, where I work as a professor ofpsychology, and was in need of a project to work on during that period.At the same time, I started to explore Romin Tafarodi’s work. BetweenKernis’ new material on optimal self-esteem and Tafarodi’s two-factorapproach, I realized that there is an entire line of research and theory onthe psychology of self-esteem into which my more phenomenologicalwork could fit and make a contribution, particularly in terms of enhancingself-esteem. That moment brought with it a breath of fresh air andrenewed inspiration.xiii