How do Changes in One's Self-Esteem Affect the Self-Esteem of Others?

Abstract

When someone's self-esteem is raised, how does their presence affect the people surrounding them? The purpose of the present study was to provide initial evidence for this question from the viewpoint of social comparison. We therefore conducted a questionnaire experiment among junior high school students (N = 225) using a scene-assumption method, investigating the effect of a change in the self-esteem of a specific individual on the self-esteem of others in that individual's proximity. Results showed that, for students who had low self-esteem and saw self-esteem as important, their self-esteem decreased when the self-esteem of a friend increased; conversely, self-esteem increased for individuals who did not view this trait as important. This finding suggests that, depending on both the degree of the participants’ original level of self-esteem and the degree to which self-esteem is considered important, activities to improve self-esteem may have an unintentional adverse effect that undermines their original purpose. Based on this suggestion, the necessity of considering the effects on others in efforts to improve an individual's self-esteem is discussed.