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

A Meaning-Based, Two-Factor Theory of Self-Esteem 155Under many conditions, either worthiness-based or competencybasedself-esteem can look like high self-esteem: Individuals may test thatway, they do possess some realistically positive qualities, and they certainlydo not give the appearance of having low self-esteem. However,they are not to be confused with people who have secure or authenticself-esteem because the fundamental structure of self-esteem, as describedby the matrix, shows that both competence-based and worthiness-basedself-esteem are inherently unstable. In each case, one factor is deficientenough to create a state of imbalance, instability, or “fragility” (Kernis,2003a). Indeed, each of the four major types of fragile self-esteem thatKernis describes in his review of the literature is accommodated in thesetwo quadrants of the matrix terms, because each one of them is structurallyimbalanced in principle.In the case of defensive high self-esteem, for instance, it is quite conceivablethat some people consciously behave as though they feel positiveabout themselves when they actually do not. For example, if an individualpossesses enough competence so that it compensates for negative feelingsconcerning worthiness, or vice versa, then it is possible to focus onthe positive quality and thereby ignore the deficit at least some of thetime. Thus, the matrix accommodates research concerning self-esteemthat is contingent on either competence or on worthiness. Similarly, highexplicit self-esteem coupled with low implicit self-esteem could occur ineither the upper left or lower right quadrants. However, such individualsneed not be aware of such an imbalance, which would account for formsof paradoxical self-esteem.Depending on the severity of an individual’s doubts about his or herworthiness, he or she may also demonstrate defensiveness, instability, orgeneral fragility in the face of loss, setbacks, failure, and so forth, becausethe person does not have a reservoir of positive worth to fall back onduring those times. Those who have reservations about their competencemay look and feel quite well when things go their way, but rejection, criticism,isolation, or abandonment are more threatening to them. Theymust react to such threats defensively because they lack the sense of competencenecessary to engage in behavior that would earn them a sense ofworthiness on their own. Those with paradoxical self-esteem are likely toexhibit similar symptoms of distress because they arise from a state ofimbalance between competence and worthiness. However, in these casessuch individuals may lack more insight as to why they are responding inthese ways than other groups typically suffer.Finally, we can see how the matrix accommodates the research onunstable self-esteem. This type of self-esteem typically involves dramaticshort-term fluctuations. The condition is likely to occur for individualswho have an imbalance of competence and worthiness, but who have not