Contingent self-esteem

Contingent self-esteem (CSE) is self-esteem based on the approval of others or on social comparisons. Certain events will shape one's self-esteem when the individual bases their self-worth on the outcome of those events. The success or failure of any situation can result in fluctuations of an individual's self-esteem. A manifestation of someone with contingent self-esteem is excessive self-consciousness. Such excessive self-consciousness, as occurs with contingent self-esteem, involves extreme criticism of one's self, concern of how they are perceived by their peers, and feelings of discomfort in social settings. One's self-esteem is directly affected when domains of contingencies are used to measure one's self worth. Self-esteem can also be affected when an individual compares their appearance or success to that of someone else or when their self-esteem is contingent to the relationships around them.

According to William James in his journal The Principles of Psychology, self-esteem can be a stable and unstable trait. An individual's self-esteem fluctuates in response to different events. Men and women alike are also selective about which events affect their self-esteem. This instability of self-esteem is the result of having contingent self worth. Good and bad events can momentarily raise or lower feelings of self-esteem. Those fluctuations can cause an individual to seek those positive feelings associated with success and avoid the negative feelings associated with failure. Therefore, contingencies of self-worth have control over one's behavior.

Students who base their self-esteem on their academic successes use their school work to prove their intelligence. Since failures in domains of contingency have negative effects on one's self-esteem, students will avoid failure by increasing their effort, by abandoning their goals and becoming completely unmotivated, or by making excuses to lessen the impact on their self-esteem. In Jennifer Crocker's journal Contingencies of self-worth: Implications for self-regulation and psychological vulnerability, the author states that contingencies of self-worth are used as a source of motivation and a psychological vulnerability. This means that contingencies of self-worth can cause one to strive for success or weaken one's self-esteem. Contingencies of self-worth are associated with validation of one's abilities in the domain of contingency, and students spend more time on activities related to their specific domains of contingency. When individuals have self-validation goals, mistakes, failures, criticism, and negative feedback are seen as threats rather than learning opportunities. A solution would be to replace self-validating goals with learning goals. Adopting goals that are good for the individual as well as others around them may lessen the impact of contingent self-esteem.

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