Interpersonal Consequences of Insecure High Self-Esteem

A recent review of the self-esteem literature suggests that high self-esteem (HSE) is a heterogeneous construct with adaptive and harmful aspects. One promising solution to addressing this heterogeneity is to consider two types of HSE: secure and insecure. Operationalized here as the interaction of self-esteem and narcissism, insecure HSE should predict maladaptive outcomes. Two studies explored how insecure HSE, along with the main effects of narcissism and self-esteem, predict peer-rated maladjustment. In each study, participants completed standard measures of narcissism and self-esteem and nominated knowledgeable peers to provide ratings of interpersonal maladjustment (e.g., defensive reactions to criticism). Study 2 also included a peer-rating measure of personal maladjustment (e.g., unhappiness). Across both studies, results indicated (1) a mutual suppressor relation of narcissism and self-esteem with maladjustment, (2) negative links between self-esteem and maladjustment, and (3) positive links between narcissism and maladjustment. Of particular interest, insecure HSE individuals were rated as most maladjusted in each domain. These results suggest that the operationalization of insecure HSE as the interaction of narcissism and self-esteem is a fruitful one for gaining further insight into the heterogeneity of high self-esteem. INTRODUCTION A recent comprehensive review of the self-esteem literature by Baumeister and colleagues has highlighted the contradictory consequences of high self-esteem (HSE) (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003). On the one hand, HSE appears to be adaptive given that, for example, those high in self-esteem have positive, well-anchored, and secure feelings of self-worth and are satisfied with themselves (e.g., Kernis, 2000). On the other hand, HSE also appears to be harmful, reflecting an aggressively self-enhancing presentational style characterized by self-aggrandizing and self-promotion (Baumeister, Tice, & Hutton, 1989). A useful reconciliation of this contradiction is to divide those high in self-esteem into two groups: secure vs. insecure HSE. Although different researchers have argued for different ways of best accomplishing this (e.g., stable vs. unstable, implicit vs. explicit), we feel that a particularly promising operationalization is to examine the joint effects of narcissism and self-esteem. Although these constructs are notably different from each other, they (1) are consistently positively intercorrelated (Campbell, 2001), (2) reliably demonstrate a suppressor relationship such that it is imperative to consider them simultaneously (e.g., Paulhus, Robins, Trzesniewski, & Tracy, 2004), and (3) each possess adaptive and maladaptive elements (Baumeister et al., 2003; Paulhus, 1998). Conceptually, the combination of narcissism and HSE seems to best capture the notion of insecure high self-esteem; that is, a vulnerable individual who reacts to self-relevant negative information defensively. In this case, the interaction between the two should strongly predict maladaptive outcomes. The current research involved two similar studies that explored the joint effects of narcissism and self-esteem on peer-rated measures of maladjustment in personal and interpersonal domains. By including measures of both predictors we were able to explore the interaction of narcissism and self-esteem along with their unique main effects on maladjustment, which we hypothesized to be positive for narcissism and negative for self-esteem. More importantly, we hypothesized that compared to secure high self-esteem, insecure high self-esteem – the combination of narcissism and self-esteem – would be particularly detrimental to personal and interpersonal adjustment.