The Role of Imagery Perspective in Self-Esteem and Shame

Libby, Lisa

Abstract

Chronic low self-esteem is associated with numerous emotional and mental health problems. However, surprisingly little is known about the causal mechanisms responsible for this association, despite widespread interest in self-esteem amongst researchers and the lay public alike. The present research addresses this gap in the literature, focusing specifically on the relationships between low self-esteem, visual perspective in imagery of negative autobiographical events, and the propensity to experience shame. When people recall or imagine events in their lives, they often see those events in their mind's eye. Sometimes people see these images from their own first-person perspective, looking out through their own eyes; other times they see images from an outside observer's third-person perspective, so that they see themselves in the images . Preliminary data demonstrate that individuals with chronically low self-esteem (LSEs) experience significantly more third-person imagery when recalling negative autobiographical events than do those with chronically high self-esteem (HSEs). One purpose of the present studies is to investigate how LSEs' beliefs about the determinants of interpersonal acceptance and LSEs' tendency to overgeneralize from negative events contribute to their tendency to recall negative events from the third-person. Existing research demonstrates that LSEs are prone to experiencing the self-focused emotion of shame and that shame promotes maladaptive response styles. The second purpose of the present studies is to explore how the tendency to recall negative events from the third-person may contribute to LSEs' vulnerability to experiencing shame, and thus put them at risk for mental health threats. Identifying causal mechanisms that link low self-esteem to mental health threats highlights thought processes that may be targeted in therapeutic interventions.