| Summary: | Two studies tested a theory of how trait self-esteem moderates behavioral and
cognitive persistence in the face of failure. Three primary hypotheses were
examined. First, that high self-esteem (HSE) individuals persist more than low
self-esteem (LSE) individuals when their initial attempts to reach a goal fail, but
subsequent or repeated failures lead HSE individuals to reduce behavioral
persistence and pursue goal alternatives more quickly than LSE individuals.
Second, that when no goal alternatives are available, HSE individuals
behaviorally persist more than LSE individuals. Third, despite reductions in
behavioral persistence, LSE individuals do not "give up" on the failed goal but
continue to persist cognitively, in the form of aversive ruminations about the
failed goal. In a factorial experiment, persistence was examined as a function of
self-esteem, degree of failure, and the availability of goal alternatives. As
hypothesized, HSE participants behaviorally persisted more than LSE
participants after a single failure, but less after repeated failure. However, selfesteem
differences in behavioral persistence did not emerge when goal
alternatives were unavailable. Partial support was received for the hypothesis
that LSE individuals engage in more ruminative persistence than HSE
individuals-LSE participants showed higher levels of ruminative persistence on
one of two measures of ruminative persistence. The findings regarding
behavioral persistence were conceptually replicated, and the hypothesis
regarding ruminative persistence received stronger support, in a longitudinal
field study in which HSE and LSE participants initially listed their goals and reported on their behavioral and ruminative persistence regarding these goals 5
months later. HSE participants exhibited better calibration between perceptions
of goal failure and behavioral pursuit than LSE participants, indicating that
increasing perceptions of goal failure were associated with reductions in
behavioral pursuit more for HSE than LSE participants. Although they reduced
behavioral pursuit relative to HSE participants, LSE participants continued to
persist cognitively, by ruminating about their goals more than HSE participants.
Discussion focuses on the need to revise traditional views of HSE individuals
that emphasize their tenacious persistence and views of LSE individuals that
emphasize their tendency to give up in the face of failure.
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