The Correlation of High Self-Esteem and Aggression in Adolescents

The Correlation of High Self-Esteem and Aggression in Adolescents

High self-esteem has frequently been regarded as a vital component in an adolescent‘sdevelopment, and has often been linked to positive adjustment outcomes such as academic achievement, positive peer relationships, lower internalizing and externalizing behaviors etc. Although paired with good aspects, recent research suggests that high self- esteem may also be linked to unfavorable outcomes such as aggression, avoidance of the mother, and other antisocial behaviors. This line of research suggests that people with high self-esteem are intolerant of threats to the self, and vigorously strive to maintain or restore their high sense of self-worth when it is threatened. Research has also suggested that perhaps this form of high self-esteem could be linked with narcissism. Narcissism is a personality disorder that involves grandiose view of self, an inflated sense of entitlement, and exploitative attitude towards others. Further, narcissism has often been associated with negative outcomes. We hypothesize that high self-esteem and narcissism might be associated with one another, and both might individually also be linked with antisocial behaviors (e.g., aggression), however, we hypothesize that the links between high self-esteem and aggression is moderated by narcissism.