Differentiating Happiness and Self-esteem
Author(s): R. Michael Furr
Abstract: Recent interest in positive psychology is reflected in a host of constructs, but the empirical differences among many of these constructs are relatively unexamined. With a diverse set of data based on multiple rater perspectives, the differentiation between two of the most basic constructs in positive psychology - happiness and self-esteem - was examined along core personality dimensions at different, levels of generality. Undergraduates (n = 146) reported their levels of happiness and self-esteem and provided wide-ranging personality descriptions. In addition, important people from the participants' social lives, including college friends, hometown friends, and parents, provided personality descriptions of the participants. Although more clearly separable for males than for females, happiness was uniquely associated with communal, interpersonally-oriented traits and high positive affect, while self-esteem was primarily associated with agentic, independence-oriented and achievement-oriented traits and a lack of negative affect.
Pages: 105-127
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