Who tries to self-improve after an academic failure?: trait self-esteem differences and the mediating role of self-esteem distancing processes

Abstract

The present study examined whether individual differences in implicit and explicit trait self-esteem influenced students’ self-improvement effort after receiving feedback that their verbal ability was at or well-below average. This study also examined whether certain self-distancing strategies facilitated or hindered practice effort. Regardless of implicit self esteem, participants with lower explicit self-esteem invested superior effort after receiving below-average, compared to average, feedback. Participants with high self-esteem did not differ by condition. Additional analyses revealed that participants who scored well-below average reported lower state self-esteem, which in turn related to higher academic contingencies and superior practice effort. Albeit limited, these findings support the contention that more is not better when it comes to self-esteem, as neither higher trait nor state self-esteem promoted superior self-improvement effort after failure. Future research is needed to uncover the influence of implicit self-esteem and better understand the role of distancing strategies on self-improvement effort.