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6119 ISR
426 Thompson Street
Phone: 734-615-3626
 Psychologists have often claimed that people need self-esteem, and are motivated to pursue it. Does pursuing self-esteem work? That is, when people have egosystem goals, does their own self-esteem increase? Do others view them more positively? Do they reap benefits for mental health, relationships, or self-regulation? Are they more oriented toward learning and growth? Research in my lab examines whether pursuing self-esteem by trying to get others to recognize one’s positive qualities actually creates what people want. Paradoxically, both self-esteem and regard from others increase when people focus not on themselves, but on the well-being of others. These self-transcendent ecosystem goals, focused on supporting the well-being of others but not at the expense of the self, predict improvements in mental health, relationships, and self-regulation, and foster learning and growth orientations. Currently research in the lab continues to explore the costs and benefits of pursuing self-esteem, alternatives to pursuing self-esteem, and implications for relationships, self-regulation, and mental and physical health. It also tests the idea that egosystem goals activate physiological systems that promote self-preservation, whereas ecosystem goals activate physiological systems that promote species-preservation, or transcendence of narrow self-interest.
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