Rank-order stability of domain-specific self-esteem : A meta-analysis

Abstract

This meta-analysis examined the rank-order stability of domain-specific self-esteem by comprehensively synthesizing the available evidence in eight domains of self-esteem (i.e., academic, appearance, athletic, morality, romantic, social, mathematics, and verbal abilities). The analyses were based on longitudinal data from 118 independent samples, including 107,550 participants aged 4–24 years. The time lag between assessments ranged from 6 months to 20 years. As effect-size measure, we used test–retest correlations that were corrected for attenuation due to measurement error. The results suggested that individual differences in domain-specific self-esteem are relatively stable over time, with mean effect sizes ranging from .65 to .84 across domains. Rank-order stability systematically increased as a function of age, from low stability in early childhood to high stability in young adulthood. Moreover, rank-order stability systematically decreased as a function of time lag between assessments, asymptotically approaching medium-sized stabilities (ranging from .36 to .62 across domains) when the time lag became very long. Moderator analyses indicated that the findings held across differences with regard to gender and measure. In sum, the findings suggest that rank-order stability of domain-specific self-esteem is relatively high, even over long periods of time, indicating that the eight investigated facets of domain-specific self-esteem should be considered trait-like constructs.