Self-Esteem Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives [Hardcover]

Michael H. Kernis (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1841694207 | ISBN-13: 978-1841694207 | Edition: 1

Research and theory on self-esteem have flourished in recent years.  This resurgence has produced multiple perpectives on fundamental issues surrounding the nature of self-esteem and its role in psychological functioning and interpersonal processes.

Self-Esteem Issues and Answers brings together these various perspectives in a unique format.  The book is divided into five sections.  Section I focuses on core issues pertaining to the conceptualization and assesment of self-esteem, and when self-esteem is optimal. Section II concentrates on the determinants, development, and modifiability of self-esteem. Section III examines the evolutionary significance of self-esteem and its role in psychological processes and therapeutic settings.  Section IV explores the social, relational, and cultural significance of self-esteem.  Finally, Section V considers future directions for self-esteem researchers, practitioners, parents and teachers.

This volume offers a wealth of perspectives from prominent researchers from different areas of psychology.  Each expert contributor was asked to focus his or her chapter on a central self-esteem issue.  Three or four experts addressed each question.  The result is that Self-Esteem Issues and Answers provides a comprehensive sourcebook of current perspectives on a wide range of central self-esteem issues.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

' This book is a carefully planned survey of the field of self-esteem, organized in terms of key questions posed to the field's most active and influential researchers.  The essays they offer in response to the questions are focused, informative, and exact, providing a reference work that captures both the tradition of self-esteem psychology and its cutting-edge issues such as unconscious self-evaluation and the role of self-esteem in psychopathology.' - Daniel M. Wegner, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University.

' This stimulating, provocative, and compelling volume delivers just what the field of self -esteem needs most.  It summarizes the status of current knowledge on the topic in an engaging and readable format - shedding light on what is known about the functioning of self-esteem, while simulataneously giving the reader a sense of the complexities involved in the concept.  It does so without favouritism, not forcing pat answers, but allowing the readers to make up their own minds.  This volume is a must-read for scholars and students interested in understanding the role of self-esteem in psychological and interpersonal functioning.' - Carolyn C.Morf, Professor of Psychology, University of Bern and Editor of Self & Identity

About the Author

Michael H. Kernis is a professor of psychology at the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D in Social Psychology from the University of Rochester in 1983. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in social psychology, including Psychology of the Self, Social Psychology and Personality and Social Behavior. He has served as an associate editor of the journal Self and Identity.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Psychology Press; 1 edition (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841694207
• ISBN-13: 978-1841694207
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Broad, and Up-to-Date: A Valuable Contribution, February 14, 2007

By 

Chris Mruk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Self-Esteem Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives (Hardcover)

Self-Esteem Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives, by Michael H. Kernis, 2006, New York: Psychology Press, may stand as one of the most important books written on self-esteem in the past decade or more. Although there have been several comprehensive looks at the field that stand as classics, none has taken the unique approach found in this one. Kernis developed a list of most of the major issues in the area of self-esteem and then identified leading experts in each one. Next, he invited them to write a short summary of their position on their respective areas of expertise. The result is a broad and state-of-the-art look at self-esteem today presented by people who have established credentials in the field. This book is especially important because it reveals a new vitality, depth, and sophistication in the field that has been overlooked recently by those who only wish to criticize or ignore work on self-esteem. This collection of writings ranges from the critical issue of defining self-esteem, through work on the personal and social functions of self-esteem, to the importance of enhancing self-esteem in the clinical setting and elsewhere. The text is a must have for those who are interested in what is happening in this area of psychology, critics of the field notwithstanding. No comprehensive library on the topic should be without this volume.