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The response also addresses risks in adopting a multifaceted self-esteem view, while clarifying how implicit self-esteem and authenticity can be conceptualized and operationalized.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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\nSource:Psychological Inquiry,2003,Vol.14,No.1(2003),pp.83-89  \nPublished by:Taylor &Francis,Ltd.  \nStable URL:https://www.jstor.org/stable/1449049  \n## REFERENCES\n\nLinked references are available on JSTOR for this article:https://www jstor.org/stable/1449049?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference\\#references tab contentsYou may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references.  \nJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars,researchers,and students discover,use,and build upon a widerange of content in a trusted digital archive.We use information technology and tools to increase productivity andfacilitate new forms of scholarship.For more information about JSTOR,please contact support@jsfor.org.  \nYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms &Conditions of Use,available athttps://about.jstor.org/terms  \nTaylor &Francis,Ltd.is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,preserve and extend access toPsychological Inquiry  \nI looked forward to receiving the commentaries onmy target article both with excitement and abit of trep-idation.As I read them,I felt a great deal of gratitudefor the care and thoughtfulness with which the authorsstated their concerns.It occurred to me that I could re-spond to these commentaries by thoughtfully assimi-lating their meaning and modifying my positionaccordingly.Given the issues here,however,it also oc-curred to me that I could be defensive and caustic andbegin my response with a resounding \\#%+$@&*!OFF!Fortunately,I quickly brushed off the latter pos-sibility.All joking aside,I feel very fortunate to havehad the opportunity to process,integrate,and respondto the commentaries with the same high degree of seri-ousness with which they were written.The issues Iad-dress in my response include the following:  \n1.The pervasiveness and adaptiveness of contin-gent self-esteem.  \n2.The developmental factors that contribute tofragile and optimal self-esteem.  \n3.The use of the construct of narcissism as anoverarching framework for understanding frag-ile and optimal self-esteem.  \n4.The potential pitfalls of a multifaceted self-es-teem perspective.  \n5.The conceptualization and operationalizationof implicit self-esteem and authenticity.  \n## Is All Self-Esteem Contingent?\n\nSeveral commentators argue either that everyone'sself-esteem is contingent,or that so few people possessnoncontingent(or optimal)self-esteem that it is theo-retically and practically useless.Rhodewalt andTragakis suggest that the distinction between contin-gent self-esteem and authentic self-esteem is “more atheoretical convenience than it is an empirical fact”(this issue).They write that regardless of the basis of  \n## AUTHOR’S RESPONSE\n\n# Optimal Self-Esteem and Authenticity:Separating Fantasy from Reality\n\nMichael H.Kernis  \nDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of Georgia  \none's self-esteem,even individuals with optimalself-esteem will look to the social environment forself-definition and consequently display externallycontingent and unstable self-esteem.Crocker and Nuerstate that“we have relatively little choice about havingcontingencies of self-worth”(this issue);Arndt andSchimel assert that “all self-esteem is inherently con-tingent on meeting standards or on some form of socialacceptance or validation”(this issue).AlthoughHeatherton and Wyland agree with my description ofoptimal self-esteem,they question its existence:  \nWho has it?The problem with this idealistic represen-tation is that it may apply to very few people in the realworld.Certainly we know few people in our socialworlds who appear to have optimal self-esteem (al-though we admit to knowing people who would de-scribe themselves in precisely these positive terms).(this issue)  \nClearly,these commentators have raised some im-portant issues.My sense is that they were raised,inpart,because of the use of the term contingent to de-scribe fragile self-esteem that","cbCaijJdEtrQczpI","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijJdEtrQczpI","pdf",1308784,"English","# Optimal Self-Esteem and Authenticity: Separating Fantasy from Reality\n## Is All Self-Esteem Contingent?\n## Author’s Response","[{\"question\":\"What is meant by contingent self-esteem in contrast to optimal self-esteem?\",\"answer\":\"Contingent self-esteem is tied closely to specific outcomes, achievements, evaluations, and social acceptance, whereas optimal self-esteem is described as more resilient and less dependent on these factors—though it can still be influenced by context and others, especially during development.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the author think few people show truly optimal self-esteem in the real world?\",\"answer\":\"Commentators raise concerns that the idealistic portrayal may fit only a very small number of individuals, even though some people may describe themselves in similarly positive terms.\"},{\"question\":\"How do developmental factors relate to fragile versus optimal self-esteem?\",\"answer\":\"The author argues that both genetic temperament and environmental influences—such as parental support and communication—shape self-esteem development, citing research that links parental communication styles with children’s stability and level of self-esteem.\"}]","Optimal Self-Esteem and Authenticity - Separating Fantasy from Reality | PDF"]