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

A Meaning-Based, Two-Factor Theory of Self-Esteem 153to mount campaigns aimed at obtaining the kinds of successes that wouldlead to a sense of competence. Of course, low self-esteem ranges in termsof degree, which is reflected in the severity of the problem that it generatesfor individuals. Even so, the phrase “low self-esteem” is usually associatedwith such things as caution, timidity, lack of initiative, conflictavoidance, insecurity, anxiety, depression, and so forth, as we saw againand again in the literature. All of these qualities are consistent with thisconfiguration of self-esteem and the diagram.High Self-EsteemAccording to the meaning matrix generated by the fundamental structure,people with high self-esteem typically exhibit a positive degree ofboth competence and worthiness. This configuration is only found in theupper right-hand quadrant. It is easy to see how much of the literature wereviewed on high self-esteem is consistent with this quadrant of thematrix. For example, we would expect people who experience a highdegree of worthiness to feel good about themselves in general, to be relativelyopen to new experiences, to feel accepted and acceptable, to bepleasant to be around, and so forth. People who are also high in competence,which is characteristic of this quadrant, would also be likely tohave the skills that are necessary to succeed in life. Both sets of characteristicsare found in the literature we saw indicating a relationshipbetween self-esteem and happiness, initiative, openness, spontaneity, asecure identity, and, of course, a general absence of psychopathology.So far, so good. However, unless we can account for it in other ways,it would be difficult for us to understand how other characteristics associatedwith high self-esteem could be placed in this quadrant withoutcontradicting the way that competence and worthiness have been said towork together. These characteristics are the ones that have been referredto as the dark side of self-esteem and that have caused considerable negativefallout on the field in general. People with high degrees of narcissism,egotism, and even antisocial traits often feel good about themselvesand they may score high on self-esteem tests. People with other characteristicsmay be mistaken for having high self-esteem when they do not,such as those whose self-esteem is contingent upon success. For example,as long as overachievers are competent enough to continue to besuccessful in whatever way is important to them, they are also likely totest positively on measures of self-esteem. However, having such selfesteemmay not offer them much to fall back on in the face of failure orsetbacks, which may result in negative self-experience or expression thatis not generally associated with genuinely high self-esteem. Fortunately,the matrix offers a new way of understanding such “false positives” and