Contingent Self-Esteem and Race: Implications for the Black Self-Esteem Advantage

Previous research has found that despite being aware of negative stereotypes about their group and experiencing prejudice and discrimination, Blacks tend to report higher levels of self-esteem than Whites. Despite the robust nature of the Black self-esteem advantage, an adequate explanation for the higher self-esteem of Blacks relative to Whites has yet to be offered. The present studies examine whether Blacks and Whites differ in the domains on which their self-esteem is based and whether these differences mediate the relationship between race and self-esteem. The present studies found that Blacks and Whites tend to base their self-esteem on different domains and that the tendency of Whites to base their self-esteem on the approval of others provides a partial explanation for the Black self-esteem advantage. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to racial differences in self-esteem.