Agency and morality as building blocks of self-esteem

Does your self-esteem depend on how well you can achieve your personal goals, or how good you are for others? The 'agency hypothesis' claims that the first is true. The competing 'morality hypothesis' claims that self-esteem above all hinges on morality (a facet of communion), rather than agency. Previous studies have provided evidence for either hypothesis. Consistent with the agency hypothesis, self-esteem correlates more strongly with self-reported agentic than communal traits. Consistent with the morality hypothesis, greater “above-average” beliefs occur on communion than on agency. We aim to contribute to the agency-morality debate through a series of studies. Some studies will examine the size of above-average beliefs on agency and morality and their association with self-esteem. In these studies, we will use both explicit and implicit measures of self-esteem. Other studies will examine the relationship between the strength of self-superiority beliefs and trait characteristics, such as the traits’ desirability and controllability. The planned studies combine correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental methods. We will explore the implications of our findings for theories of the building blocks of self-esteem, and their potential application for educational practices and therapeutic interventions.