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

Self-Esteem and Positive Psychology 243self-esteem work and positivistic positive psychology in these two areasas a way of making the point that there is a legitimate and importantplace for self-esteem in this new field. Using examples from both academicand applied areas such as these also illustrate the fact that selfesteemwork is important for at least two levels or dimensions ofpositivistic positive psychology.Self-Esteem, Authenticity, and Positive PsychologyWhen examining research findings in Chapter 3, we found that the fieldof self-esteem has been interested in the phenomenon of authenticity forquite some time. Positivistic positive psychology also identifies authenticityas a primary human strength and supports work in this area (Peterson& Seligman, 2004, p. 249). Much of the existing work on authenticityinvolves self-esteem, but that fact is not given much attention when thenew positive psychology makes use of this literature. In theory, perhapsthe problem with including self-esteem in positivistic positive psychologyis the idea that humanistic work on the topic does not meet the standardsof the naturalistic paradigm. For example, perhaps a true, inner, or“intrinsic” self, which is essential to the notion of authenticity, is far too“qualitative” of a concept to meet the traditional empirical standards ofthe new positive psychology.However, the fact is that contemporary work on self-esteem goeswell beyond such a limitation. A case in point is Self-DeterminationTheory (SDT), which operates from an explicitly existential and “organismic,”which is to say humanistic, point of view. SDT holds that thereare three most basic human needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.To paraphrase Ryan and Brown (2003, p. 73) this view understandsautonomy as a combination of “volition and ownership, and initiative,”competence as the “ability to respond to challenges effectively,” andrelatedness as “feelings of belonging and connectedness,” which I characterizein terms of providing a sense of acceptance or worth.Although SDT does not see self-esteem as one of the most basichuman needs, self-esteem is still regarded as an important phenomenonbecause it affects such things as self-regulation and authenticity, both ofwhich are vital to SDT. For example, if a person suffers from low, fragile,contingent, paradoxical, or unstable self-esteem, then much of selfregulationwill be defensive. Understanding oneself as having a poordegree of competence impairs autonomous functioning, because such aperceived deficiency makes it difficult to take the risks associated withacting on one’s own. Similarly, basing one’s sense of worth on externalrather than internal standards creates a condition of dependence on othersthat constrains one’s ability to function on the basis of intrinsic motivation.