Self-Esteem and Self-Consistency: A Theoretical and Empirical Link Between Two Primary Motivations

This study investigates the relationship between two primary motivational components of the self-concept: self-esteem and self-consistency. Research has shown that high self-e.steem is associated with greater consistency. Developed from theories ofthe self-concept, a structural model relating these two constructs was posited such that; (1) self-esteem is causally prior to self-consistency and (2) the effect of self-esteem is (at least partially) mediated hy other components of the self-concept (self-consciousness. the tendency to fantasize and the tendency to present a false front by hiding one's feelings). An analysis of covariance structures was applied to a structural equation model wilh unobserved variables, using data from a sample of youth (ages 8-19). Mulligroup analyses ofthe sample broken down by developmental stage (pre-. early and late adolescence) revealed that the direct effect of self-esteem on self-consiste ncy and the mediational properties of the other self-concept components varied across age. These differences are interpreted in tight of theories of cognitive and social development.