The developmental costs of high self-esteem for antisocial children.
Two hypotheses--high self-esteem leads children to act on antisocial cognitions (disposition-activating hypothesis) and high self-esteem leads children to rationalize antisocial conduct (disposition-rationalizing hypothesis)--were investigated in two longitudinal studies. In Study 1 (N= 189; mean age = 11.1 years), antisocial behavior was aggression; in Study 2 (N= 407; mean age = 10.8 years) it was avoidance of the mother. In both studies, there was little evidence for the disposition-activating hypothesis but considerable support for the disposition-rationalizing hypothesis. Over time, aggressive children with high self-esteem increasingly valued the rewards that aggression offers and belittled their victims, and avoidant children with high self-esteem increasingly viewed their mother as harassing and uninvolved. For antisocial children, high self-esteem carries costs.
Menon
Madhavi
M
Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
Tobin
Desiree D
DD
Corby
Brooke C
BC
Menon
Meenakshi
M
Hodges
Ernest V E
EV
Perry
David G
DG
D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002605:Character; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009042:Motivation; D009769:Object Attachment; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011908:Rationalization; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012963:Sociometric Techniques