Self-esteem is an academic and popular phenomenon, vigorously researched and debated, sometimes imbued with magical qualities, other times vilified as the bane of the West's preoccupation with self. Though thousands of articles have been devoted to the topic, and bookshops work to feed the public's appetite for advice on revealing, enhancing and maintaining self-esteem, conflicting claims and findings have placed the field in disarray. In a very real sense, self-esteem is a victim of its own popularity. This book seeks to add clarity to a concept earlier examined by such notable self theorists as Morris Rosenberg but eminently worthy of re-examination and extension. We do this by asking some leading thinkers on self-esteem theory, measurement and application to assess what we know about self-esteem, and link it to important aspects of society and the human experience.

Even with the significant diversity between groups identified as Asian American, literature continues to place these numerous populations into one group. Combining such diverse groups into one category hides large differences and tends to defeat the purpose of much of the research (Durvasula & Mylvaganam, 1994). The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between ethnic identity, acculturation, and self-esteem in second-generation Asian Indian adults based on the assertion that ethnic identity is crucial to self-esteem and psychological functioning of ethnic group members (Phinney, 1990). Using the Suinn-Lew Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (Suinn, Rikard-Figueroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987), the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), correlational analyses were conducted. The results of this study indicate no significant relationship between the participants' ethnic identity and self esteem, ethnic identity and age, or self esteem and age. The data showed that the majority of participants endorsed an integrated level of acculturation. The results provide a preliminary understanding of the way in which this population views and processes its ability to develop a bicultural way of living in the United States.

This study's purpose was to examine connections between ethnic identity and self-esteem in Native adolescents. A three-factor model of ethnic identity included (a) Native identification, a subjective sense of commitment to Native culture, (b) Anglo, identification, an analogous sense of belonging to the dominant culture, and (c) group-esteem, evaluative appraisals of one's heritage ethnic group. Self-esteem was operationalized with measures of global self-esteem, academic self-concept, and social self-concept. Participants were 164 Native and 150 Anglo grades 10 and 11 students attending a high school in the US Southwest. Confirmatory Factor Analyses and mixed ANOVAs assessed the cross-cultural applicability of study measures. Hierarchical regression was used to evaluate four specific hypotheses. Overall, Native youth had lower self-esteem than Anglo adolescents, but the difference depended on the facet of self-esteem. It was largest for academic self-concept. For global self-esteem the difference was close to statistical significance. No difference was apparent for social self-concept. Hypothesis 1, that Native youths' level of Native identification would be positively associated with self-esteem was not supported. The second hypothesis, that Native youths' level of Anglo identification would be positively associated with their self-esteem, was supported by positive associations between Anglo, identification and both academic and social self-concept. A third hypothesis that predicted a positive association between Native adolescents' group-esteem and self-esteem was supported by positive associations between group-esteem and each measure of self-esteem. The fourth hypothesis implied that association between group-esteem and self-esteem would grow stronger as Native identification increased, but results revealed that as Native identification increased, the association between group-esteem and self-esteem became weaker. The results are discussed considering three theoretical frameworks that inspired the hypotheses (i.e., identity theory; symbolic interactionism; and, a Jamesian account of self-esteem). None of the frameworks accounted for the overall pattern of associations between the three-factors of the model and self-esteem. An alternative interpretation is presented, emphasizing the importance of minority group status as an influence on Native young peoples' self-esteem. The limitations of the study are explored, along with their implications for future theorizing and research in this area. Implications for prevention programs aimed at Native youth are discussed.

This volume presents recent advances in identity theory, which is a prominent and active theory in sociological social psychology and a versatile framework for explaining the sources of identities, how they develop, how they operate in situations and groups, and how they influence behavior and well-being. The volume is organized around new theoretical developments, measurement techniques, and research in the field. Theoretical developments covered in the volume sharpen, reframe, and expand fundamental concepts in identity theory. State-of-the-art techniques for measuring identities assess, refine, and update existing measures. New research in the volume addresses both individual processes and outcomes and group processes and outcomes. The chapters together showcase the wide applicability of identity theory to a host of identities, such as the religious, gender, sexual, physical attractiveness, racial/ethnic, parent, student, partisan, and group member identities. The volume editors introduce identity theory and provide an overview of the chapters. In the last chapter, they describe how this volume points to future directions for advancing theory, measurement, and research in identity theory. This volume is of interest to a wider readership, including sociological social psychologists, sociologists, and scholars in other disciplines (psychology, political science, economics, education) whose research or teaching deals with identities. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students interested in identity research will also find this book accessible. Finally, this is for discerning laypersons who are interested in how identities influence and shape their lives and affect their well-being.

The influence of the lifespan approach has been an important feature of recent research in developmental psychology, as has a growing interest in the relationship between personality and development. This important new book, edited by two distinguished psychologists, explores the relationship between personality and development from a life-course perspective. The book presents current theoretical approaches and new empirical findings from ongoing studies conducted by leading researchers in North America and Europe. It is unique in focussing on successful personality development, where developmental psychology in the past seems to have focussed almost entirely on problem behaviour and risk of maladaption. The book has a multidisciplinary appeal and will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of developmental psychology, adult development and aging, and personality and social psychology.