24 prison inmates who participated in a psychotherapy program were compared on a self-concept inventory with 19 inmates who did not participate. Self-esteem was defined in terms of the discrepancy between actual-self and ideal-self measures. The greater the discrepancy, the lower the self-esteem. A significant number of Ss in the therapeutic program showed reduction in the discrepancy score after 1 yr. in the program, while the non-therapy Ss showed a slight, but nonsignificant, increase.
Self-esteem revisited: Performance on the implicit relational assessment procedure as a measure of self- versus ideal self-related cognitions in dysphoria
