Cr. Colvin et al., OVERLY POSITIVE SELF-EVALUATIONS AND PERSONALITY - NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL-HEALTH, Journal of personality and social psychology, 68(6), 1995, pp. 1152-1162
The relation between overly positive self-evaluations and psychologica
l adjustment was examined. Three studies, two based on longitudinal da
ta and another on laboratory data, contrasted self-descriptions of per
sonality with observer ratings (trained examiners or friends) to index
self-enhancement. In the longitudinal studies, self-enhancement was a
ssociated with poor social skills and psychological maladjustment 5 ye
ars before and 5 years after the assessment of self-enhancement, In th
e laboratory study, individuals who exhibited a tendency to self-enhan
ce displayed behaviors, independently judged, that seemed detrimental
to positive social interaction. These results indicate there are negat
ive short-term and long-term consequences for individuals who self-enh
ance and, contrary to some prior formulations, imply that accurate app
raisals of self and of the social environment may be essential element
s of mental health.