The interpersonal nature of self-esteem: Do different measures of self-esteem possess similar interpersonal content?

The present study examined the interpersonal content of various self-esteem instruments in order to determine the interpersonal similarity of these measures. This was accomplished by measuring self-esteem and interpersonal style across seven samples (N = 1422). Each of the self-esteem instruments possessed significant interpersonal content and demonstrated interpersonal cohesion to the extent that all of the measures were located in either the Assured-Dominant or Gregarious-Extraverted regions of the interpersonal circumplex. These findings suggest that the self-esteem instruments included in the present study possess similar interpersonal content but that differences between these measures may exert subtle influences on how self-esteem is conceptualized in interpersonal contexts. Implications for the measurement and conceptualization of self-esteem will be discussed.