The self-esteem motive and change in self-attitudes.

The theoretical significance of the postulate of the self-esteem motive and related empirical findings are reviewed. Two hypotheses implied by the postulate are tested by way of further consideration of its justification. Hypotheses were tested using questionnaire data from 3148 junior high school students collected annually at three points in time. It was hypothesized and observed that a) mean self-derogation scores of the population would decrease significantly over time; and b) individuals with initially more negative self-attitudes relative to those with initially more positive self-attitudes would display significantly greater decreases in self-derogation over time. The findings are interpreted as support for the prevalence of the self-esteem motive. The observed increase in self-derogation over a 1-year period in persons with initially positive self-attitudes is discussed with regard to the literature on developmental disturbances in self-image; differential volunerability to self-devaluing experiences; and the relationship between change in, and level of, self-acceptance.