Further Reading — Chapter 10: Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

Annotated resources for deeper exploration. Items marked with ★ are especially recommended as starting points.

On Self-Esteem: The Research

★ Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44. The comprehensive review that questioned the promises of the self-esteem movement. Long but accessible. Covers academic performance, relationships, aggression, and wellbeing. Essential for understanding what self-esteem does and does not do.

Kernis, M. H. (2003). Toward a conceptualization of optimal self-esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), 1–26. Kernis's development of the stability/fragility distinction in self-esteem — the argument that how self-esteem operates matters as much as its level. Introduces the concept of optimal self-esteem as stable, realistic, and grounded.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1995). Human autonomy: The basis for true self-esteem. In M. Kemis (Ed.), Efficacy, Agency, and Self-Esteem (pp. 31–49). Plenum. Deci and Ryan's account of the secure/contingent distinction within self-determination theory. Shows how need satisfaction — particularly autonomy — produces genuine, stable self-regard rather than contingent self-esteem.

On Self-Compassion

★ Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow. Neff's accessible account of self-compassion for general readers — what it is, what it does, the research behind it, and practical methods for developing it. The best starting point on this topic.

Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223–250. The foundational paper establishing the self-compassion scale and the three-component model. Accessible and comprehensive.

Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. Empirical evidence for the effectiveness of structured self-compassion training. Shows significant improvements in self-compassion, wellbeing, and life satisfaction. Important for clinically-minded readers.

On Self-Efficacy: Primary Sources

★ Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. The original paper introducing self-efficacy theory. One of the most cited papers in all of psychology. Accessible and foundational.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Freeman. Bandura's comprehensive treatment of self-efficacy theory and research across all major domains — academic, occupational, health, clinical. Exhaustive but accessible. The definitive source.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Prentice-Hall. The broader theoretical framework in which self-efficacy is embedded — social cognitive theory. More demanding than the 1977 paper but essential for the complete picture.

On Learned Helplessness and Optimism

★ Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Knopf. Seligman's accessible book on learned helplessness, explanatory style, and the practical training in optimistic attribution. One of the most directly applicable books in the positive psychology tradition. Well-researched and practically organized.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Maier, S. F. (1967). Failure to escape traumatic shock. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(1), 1–9. The original learned helplessness paper. Brief, methodologically clear, and historically significant.

Peterson, C., Maier, S. F., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1993). Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control. Oxford University Press. The comprehensive scientific treatment of learned helplessness — mechanisms, evidence, clinical applications. More technical than the popular book but thorough.

On the Impostor Phenomenon

Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 15(3), 241–247. The original paper introducing impostor phenomenon. Brief and accessible. Historical context for a concept that has since been widely studied and applied.

Sakulku, J., & Alexander, J. (2011). The impostor phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75–97. A comprehensive review of impostor phenomenon research — prevalence, correlates, consequences, and interventions. Good overview for understanding the current state of the literature.

Self-Esteem and Social Structures

Crocker, J., & Major, B. (1989). Social stigma and self-esteem: The self-protective properties of stigma. Psychological Review, 96(4), 608–630. The influential paper examining how members of stigmatized groups maintain self-esteem despite negative societal evaluations. Introduces selective devaluation, in-group comparison, and external attribution as self-protective mechanisms. Important for understanding self-esteem in social context.

Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M. (1999). Stereotype threat and women's math performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35(1), 4–28. Key study demonstrating how stereotype threat undermines performance specifically in contexts where the threat is activated. Extends Steele's work into applied settings.

Accessible General Reading

★ Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House. Dweck's accessible account of growth vs. fixed mindset — the belief that ability is developable vs. fixed. Directly relevant to the self-efficacy material: growth mindset produces more adaptive responses to failure (effort attribution, persistence) that build self-efficacy over time. One of the best bridges between academic self-efficacy research and practical application.

Brown, B. (2010). The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Hazelden. Brené Brown's accessible treatment of shame, self-worth, and authenticity. Practically useful, though lighter on academic citations than some readers prefer. Particularly relevant to the contingent self-esteem and self-compassion material.