Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder(2010)

Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder

Vater, A.^ac , Schröder-Abé, M.^b, Schütz, A.^b, Lammers, C.-H.^c, Roepke, S.^c  

^a  Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
^b  Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
^c  Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

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Abstract

The present study examined whether discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with symptom severity in a sample of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). We hypothesized that implicit-explicit self-esteem discrepancies foster autoaggressive behavior and dysphoria, and impair self-perception. We found that the two forms of self-esteem discrepancies, damaged and fragile self-esteem were related to the severity of overall borderline symptoms, autoaggression, dysphoria, and deficits in self-perception. In contrast, more general psychopathological impairment, such as depression, was not related to self-esteem discrepancies. Taken together our results indicate that discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with certain borderline symptoms that may be based on internal tension. The findings can be interpreted within the framework of self-discrepancies and dichotomous attitudes in patients with BPD. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Author keywords

Borderline personality disorder; Damaged self-esteem; Discrepancies; Explicit self-esteem; Fragile self-esteem; Implicit self-esteem

위 논문은 BPD에서 외현적 자존감과 암묵적 자존감이 일치할 때보다 불일치할 때 BPD 증상들이 더 심각했다는 흥미로운 결과. 

하지만 암묵적 자존감의 대표적인 측정 도구인 IAT가 과연 암묵적 자존감을 제대로 측정하고 있는지에 대해서는 논쟁이 계속 되고 있는 모양이다. 아래는 타당도에 이의를 제기하는 논문.

Implicit Self-Esteem: Nature, Measurement, and a New Way Forward

Buhrmester, M.D.^a, Blanton, H.^b, Swann, W.B.^a   

^a  Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States
^b  Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, United States

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Abstract

Gaining insight into the nature and consequences of people's global self-evaluations (i.e., their self-esteem) has been fraught with difficulty. Nearly 2 decades ago, researchers suggested that such difficulties might be addressed by the development of a new class of measures designed to uncover implicit self-esteem. In this article, we evaluate the construct validity of the 2 most common measures of implicit self-esteem, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and Name-Letter Test (NLT). Our review indicates that the research literature has not provided strong or consistent support for the validity of either measure. We conclude that both tests are impoverished measures of self-esteem that are better understood as measures of either generalized implicit affect (IAT) or implicit egotism (NLT). However, we suggest that there surely are aspects of self-esteem that people are unwilling or unable to report and suggest a general approach that may allow researchers to tap these unspoken aspects of self-esteem. © 2010 American Psychological Association.

Author keywords

Implicit Association Test; Implicit egotism; Implicit measures; Name-letter effect; Self-esteem