Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility.
We examined stability of self-esteem and level of self-esteem as predictors of dispositional tendencies to experience anger and hostility. We reasoned that individuals with unstable high self-esteem would report especially high tendencies to experience anger and hostility, and that individuals with stable high self-esteem would report particularly low tendencies. We expected individuals with stable and unstable low self-esteem to fall between these two extremes. These predictions were derived from an analysis of anger and hostility that emphasized the instigating role of threats to self-esteem. Stability of self-esteem was assessed through multiple assessments of global self-esteem in naturalistic settings. Results revealed the predicted pattern for the tendency to experience anger and a "motor" component of hostility. The importance of considering both stability and level of self-esteem in analyses of anger and hostility is discussed.
Kernis
M H
MH
Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Arlington 76019.
Grannemann
B D
BD
Barclay
L C
LC
D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D001143:Arousal; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept