title: Self-esteem, self-affirmation, and schadenfreude.
abstract: In two studies we demonstrated that self-esteem has a negative relationship with schadenfreude toward a high achiever and that this relationship was mediated by the self-threat evoked by this high achiever. Moreover, we showed that this indirect relationship was contingent on an opportunity to affirm the self. When no self-affirmation opportunity was available, low self-esteem participants experienced a stronger self-threat when confronted with a high achiever, and this self-threat increased their schadenfreude, whereas this response was attenuated when they were given an opportunity to self-affirm. These findings indicate that the misfortunes of others can evoke schadenfreude because they provide people with an opportunity to protect or enhance their self-views.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. dijkwvan@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: Wilco W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: Guido M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: van Koningsbruggen
authors.forename: Jaap W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ouwerkerk
authors.forename: Yoka M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Wesseling
mesh_terms: D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment