From Vulnerability to Resilience: Learning Orientations Buffer Contingent Self-Esteem from Failure

• Published in: Psychological science 2004-12, Vol.15 (12), p.801-805
• Main Authors: Niiya, Yu, Crocker, Jennifer, Bartmess, Elizabeth N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic learning; Academic testing; Achievement; Adult; Depressive disorders; Educational Measurement - statistics & numerical data; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Failure; Female; High academic achievement; Humans; Intelligence; Learning; Learning - physiology; Low academic achievement; Male; Orientation - physiology; Personality psychology; Predictive Value of Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychology; Reading comprehension; Research Reports; Self Concept; Self esteem; Self image; Social psychology; Students - psychology
• ISSN: 0956-7976; 1467-9280
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00759.x

An experiment examined the buffering effects of a learning orientation following failure in a domain of contingent self-worth. Participants' academic contingencies of self-worth (CSW) and priming with theories of intelligence interacted to affect vulnerability of self-esteem to failure. Participants who had high academic CSW and were primed with an entity theory of intelligence experienced lower self-esteem and higher negative affect following failure than following success on an academic test, but these effects were eliminated when participants with high academic CSW were primed with an incremental theory of intelligence. This study shows that endorsing a learning orientation is an effective way to minimize threat to self-esteem among students whose self-worth is highly contingent on academics and may allow them to persist in the face of challenges and to learn from failure.