Unstable high self-esteem and the eliciting conditions of self-doubt

Previous research has implicated the role of easily activated self-doubt in unstable high self-esteem (HSE). The current study sought to further elucidate the eliciting conditions of such self-doubt by assessing cardiovascular responses that are sensitive to self-doubt. Participants heard that an upcoming test of reasoning ability could only identify either exceptionally high or especially low ability, and then completed either a difficult or easy version of the test while cardiovascular markers of challenge/threat were measured. As hypothesized, individuals with unstable HSE exhibited cardiovascular responses consistent with greater self-doubt (threat) than others, but only during a difficult test that was diagnostic of exceptionally high ability. This suggests that people with unstable HSE do not experience a high level of self-doubt whenever they are faced with a test of themselves, but instead only when there is a high risk of confirming a lack of exceptional ability. This has important implications for further understanding the nature and underlying mechanisms of unstable HSE.