A tripartite perspective on self-evaluation: Three forms of self-regard and their social basis

What people (and scientists) mean when they talk about self-regard or self-esteem can be very different. It is not clear exactly what a person lacks who reports a deficit in self-esteem. In order to identify the substantive dimensions that should be distinguished when considering human self-evaluation, we first analyze theories from psychology and philosophy in order to identify the social basis, i.e., the relevant dimensions of social information transmitted in social exchanges. On the basis of three converging central dimensions (i.e., information about being liked by others, being positively appraised, and being regarded as an equal), we then propose to distinguish three corresponding forms of self-regard, namely self-love, self-appraisal, and equality-based self-respect. While self-love and self-appraisal (both competence- and character-based conceptions) have already been researched, self-respect, defined as a person's belief in possessing the same rights as others, has been neglected in psychological research. We outline the differential antecedents and consequences of these three dimensions and discuss the (dis)advantages of a tripartite approach compared to uni- and two-dimensional approaches, its intercultural applicability, and potential for future research and interventions.