Daan Creemers

d.creemers@pwo.ru.nl

Project:
‘Implicit self esteem and psychopathology’

Abstract:
The aim of the project is to examine the effect of implicit (unconscious) self-esteem in the development of psychopathology. Past research has shown that explicit (conscious) self esteem is associated with subjective well-being and psychological health. People with high explicit self esteem show more optimism, emotional stability and lower levels of depression. However, according to dual-process models, in addition to the reflective (conscious, cognitive, rational, deliberative) information-processing mode, there is also an impulsive (affective, automatic and non-conscious) information processing mode. The explicit self esteem is assumed to be a product of the reflective system, whereas the implicit self esteem has it’s origins in the impulsive processes. Implicit self esteem can be defined as ‘an individual’s overlearned, automatic and nonconscious self-evaluation’. To predict and explain psychopathology research has mainly focused on explicit self esteem, whereas the implicit self esteem might also be associated with psychopathology or treatment outcomes. Therefore the main focus of this project is to enhance our knowledge about the association between implicit and explicit self-esteem, adolescents’ and young adults’ psychological well-being.