Age and birth cohort differences in self-esteem: A cross-temporal meta-analysis

A meta-analytic review finds that college students' self-esteem increased s ubstantially between 1968 and 1994 when measured using the Rosenberg Self-E steem Scale (RSE). Children's scores on the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Invento ry (SEI) show a curvilinear pattern overtime, decreasing from 1965 to 1979 and increasing from 1980 to 1993. Children's SEI scores are directly correl ated with social statistics (e.g., divorce rate, unemployment)for the corre sponding years. Analyses for age differences find that SEI scores decrease slightly during the transition from elementary school to junior high and th en rise progressively through high school and college. RSE scores increase steadily with age. Results are discussed in terms of the antecedents of sel f-esteem, including social acceptance, competencies, and the culture of sel f-worth.