The Dimensionality and Levels of Self-Sentiment

Abstract

Chapter 3 addresses two unresolved issues in self-esteem theory and research that have implications for the study of self-sentiments in general: first, the dimensionality of global self-esteem; and second, the distinction between global and domain-specific levels of self-esteem. The first issue concerns whether self-esteem is a unidimensional construct or, if multidimensional, the number and nature of the underlying dimensions. Here, I argue for the three-factor model of self-sentiment advanced by ACT-Self. The second issue concerns whether global and specific levels of self-esteem have similar behavioral consequences and predictive power. Here, I argue that existing domain-specific approaches to self-esteem actually measure self-conceptions rather than specific instances of self-esteem, which ACT-Self corrects by measuring both global and specific self-esteem with EPA semantic differential scales.