Self-Esteem
Self-esteem has a long history in psychological research and sport psychology researchers are often interested in whether sport builds self-esteem. This chapter traces the history of self-esteem research in sport and provides definitions of and distinguishes between self-esteem and self-concept, and unidimensional and multidimensional models of self-esteem. The reciprocal effects model of self-esteem is examined, which suggests mastery experiences and self-esteem both exert influences on each other and can be viewed as causes and effects of each other. Antecedents of self-esteem, such as feelings of mastery and favorable judgments of worth from significant others, are also discussed, along with developmental aspects of self-esteem. Related areas of research that might be relevant to disability and disability sport are also discussed, such as terror management theory, the role of discounting and devaluing in psychological disengagement, how self-esteem might act as a mediator, and metacognitive properties of self-esteem.