"That's Not Just Beautiful-That's Incredibly Beautiful!": The Adverse Impact of Inflated Praise on Children With Low Self-Esteem

Psychological Science

Volumn 25, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 728-735

  Brummelman, Eddie ^a   Thomaes, Sander ^a,b   Orobio de Castro, Bram ^a   Overbeek, Geertjan ^c   Bushman, Brad J ^d,e  

^a UTRECHT UNIVERSITY   (Netherlands)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON   (United Kingdom)

^c UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM   (Netherlands)

^d OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^e VU UNIVERSITY AMSTERDAM   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

challenge seeking; childhood development; educational psychology; inflated praise; interpersonal interaction; late childhood; motivation; self esteem

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGED; CHILD; CHILD PARENT RELATION; FEMALE; HUMAN; HUMAN RELATION; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MOTIVATION; REWARD; SELF CONCEPT; YOUNG ADULT;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGED; CHILD; FEMALE; HUMANS; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MOTIVATION; PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS; REWARD; SELF CONCEPT; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 84896862938     PISSN: 09567976     EISSN: 14679280     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0956797613514251     Document Type: Article

References (41)

1. Baldwin M. W.Relational schemas as a source of if-then self-inference procedures.Review of General Psychology. 1997;1:326-335.
2. Baumeister R. F.,Hutton D. G.,Cairns K. J.Negative effects of praise on skilled performance.Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 1990;11:131-148.
3. Baumeister R. F.,Tice D. M.,Hutton D. G.Self-presentational motivations and personality differences in self-esteem.Journal of Personality. 1989;57:547-579.
4. Baumeister R. F.,Vohs K. D.Narcissism as addiction to esteem.Psychological Inquiry. 2001;12:206-210.
5. Blackwell L. S.,Trzesniewski K. H.,Dweck C. S.Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention.Child Development. 2007;78:246-263.
6. BrummelmanE.ThomaesS. (2011). [Parents' beliefs about praise]. Unpublished raw data.
7. Brummelman E.,Thomaes S.,Overbeek G.,Orobio de Castro B.,van den Hout M. A.,Bushman B. J.On feeding those hungry for praise: Person praise backfires in children with low self-esteem.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 2013;:.
8. Burhans K. K.,Dweck C. S.Helplessness in early childhood: The role of contingent worth.Child Development. 1995;66:1719-1738.
9. Bushman B. J.,Moeller S. J.,Crocker J.Sweets, sex, or self-esteem? Comparing the value of self-esteem boosts with other pleasant rewards.Journal of Personality. 2011;79:993-1012.
10. Corpus J. H.,Ogle C. M.,Love-Geiger K. E.The effects of social-comparison versus mastery praise on children's intrinsic motivation.Motivation and Emotion. 2006;30:335-345.
11. Crocker J.,Park L. E.The costly pursuit of self-esteem.Psychological Bulletin. 2004;130:392-414.
12. Crocker J.,Wolfe C. T.Contingencies of self-worth.Psychological Review. 2001;108:593-623.
13. Damon W.Greater expectations: Overcoming the culture of indulgence in our homes and schools. New York, NY: Free Press; 1995:.
14. Davis-Kean P. E.,Sandler H. M.A meta-analysis of measures of self-esteem for young children: A framework for future measures.Child Development. 2001;72:887-906.
15. Dweck C. S.Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House; 2006:.
16. Gunderson E. A.,Gripshover S. J.,Romero C.,Dweck C. S.,Goldin-Meadow S.,Levine S. C.Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children's motivational frameworks 5 years later.Child Development. 2013;84:1526-1541.
17. Hamilton M. A.,Hunter J. E.Persuasion: Advances through meta-analysis. Allen M.Preiss R. W., ed. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press; 1998:99-138.
18. Harter S.Manual for the Self-Perception Profile for Children: Revision of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children. Denver, CO: University of Denver; 1985:.
19. Harter S.Construction of the self: Developmental and sociocultural foundations. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2012:.
20. Hattie J.,Timperley H.The power of feedback.Review of Educational Research. 2007;77:81-112.
21. Henderlong J.,Lepper M.The effects of praise on children's intrinsic motivation: A review and synthesis.Psychological Bulletin. 2002;128:774-795.
22. Joslin K. R.Positive parenting from A to Z. New York, NY: Ballantine Books; 1994:.
23. Kamins M. L.,Dweck C. S.Person versus process praise and criticism: Implications for contingent self-worth and coping.Developmental Psychology. 1999;35:835-847.
24. Kanouse D. E.,Gumpert P.,Canavan-Gumpert D.New directions in attribution research. Harvey J. H.Ickes W.Kidd R. F., ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1981:97-115.
25. McKay M.,Fanning P.Self-esteem: A proven program of cognitive techniques for assessing, improving, and maintaining your self-esteem. 2000). Self-esteem: A proven program of cognitive techniques for assessing, improving, and maintaining your self-esteem (3rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.Oakland, CA: New Harbinger; 2000:.
26. McNeil C. B.,Hembree-Kigin T. L.Parent-child interaction therapy. 2010). Parent-child interaction therapy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.New York, NY: Springer; 2010:.
27. Meyer W.-U.Paradoxical effects of praise and criticism on perceived ability.European Review of Social Psychology. 1992;3:259-283.
28. Mueller C. M.,Dweck C. S.Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1998;75:33-52.
29. Osterrieth P.Le test de copie d'une figure complex: Contribution a l'etude de la perception et de la memoire.Archives de Psychologie. 1944;30:286-356.
30. Parsons J. E.,Ruble D. N.The development of achievement-related expectancies.Child Development. 1977;48:1075-1079.
31. Pekrun R.,Elliot A. J.,Maier M. A.Achievement goals and achievement emotions: Testing a model of their joint relations with academic performance.Journal of Educational Psychology. 2009;101:115-135.
32. Pomerantz E. M.,Kempner S. G.Mothers' daily person and process praise: Implications for children's theory of intelligence and motivation.Developmental Psychology. 2013;:.
33. Preacher K. J.,Curran P. J.,Bauer D. J.Computational tools for probing interactions in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling, and latent curve analysis.Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics. 2006;31:437-448.
34. Ryan R. M.Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: An extension of cognitive evaluation theory.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1982;43:450-461.
35. Schneider W.Performance prediction in young children: Effects of skill, metacognition and wishful thinking.Developmental Science. 1998;1:291-297.
36. Sherif M.,Hovland C. I.Social judgment: Assimilation and contrast effects in communication and attitude change. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1961:.
37. Swann W. B.Handbook of theories of social psychology. Van Lange P. A. M.Kruglanski A. W.Higgins E. T., ed. London, England: Sage; 2012:23-42.
38. ThomaesS.BrummelmanE.BushmanB. J.ReijntjesA.Orobio de CastroB. (2013). Is it time to rethink the pervasiveness and nature of low self-esteem in children? Manuscript submitted for publication.
39. Wechsler D.Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. 1991). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corp.San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corp; 1991:.
40. Wood J. V.,Giordano-Beech M.,Taylor K. L.,Michela J. L.,Gaus V.Strategies of social comparison among people with low self-esteem: Self-protection and self-enhancement.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1994;67:713-731.
41. Wood J. V.,Heimpel S. A.,Newby-Clark I. R.,Ross M.Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory: Self-esteem differences in the experience and anticipation of success.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2005;89:764-780.