Understanding the relationship between self-esteem and self-clarity: The role of desired self-esteem

In this research, we examined a novel predictor of clarity in one's self-conceptions: discrepancies between actual and desired levels of self-esteem. Because people tend to desire high self-esteem, such discrepancies are generally larger among individuals low in self-esteem. Among college students (Study 1) and in a more diverse sample (Study 2), we found that the relationship between actual self-esteem and self-clarity was stronger among participants who had high levels of desired self-esteem. Further supporting the causal role of actual-desired self-esteem discrepancies in predicting self-clarity, Study 3 found that a manipulation designed to make high self-esteem seem less desirable reduced the relationship between self-esteem and clarity. These results demonstrate the importance of considering not only people's actual levels of self-esteem, but also their desired levels. Implications for the possible origins and consequences of self-clarity are discussed.