Self-Worth Case

The contingencies of self-worth are as follows; those with a favorable view of themselves, thinking that they are competent, likable, attractive and successful. People with these contingencies think they may help them to believe they are worthy and increase levels of self-esteem. Self-esteem is also influenced by the expectations and thoughts of others. The approval of others is one of the contingencies of self-esteem or self-worth. Other forms of the contingencies of self-esteem are: appearance, competition, academic competence, family support, virtue, and God's love.

A darker side to self-esteem suggests that people that constantly pursue higher levels of self-esteem have traits that are comparable to those that are associated with high levels of materialism. Individuals that make choices based on how others feel about them rather than what makes them feel good about themselves are depriving themselves of well-being. They give up their own thought process, intrinsic motivation, and expressive animations.

Threats to self-esteem can be helpful. While experiencing threats to self-esteem, one may learn to come up with better skills to handle issues than they may have previously had. By going through these threats, the individual learns to overcome obstacles and in turn, they may actually boost their self-esteem by figuring out they are capable of overcoming various challenges or threats.