The Relationship between Height and Self-Esteem and the Mediating Effect of Self-Consciousness

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between height and self-esteem and examined the mediating effect of self-consciousness. Four hundred seventy-nine college students (143 male and 336 female; 75% under the age of 21) were administered the Personal Opinion Survey, which consisted of demographic information, the Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, and the Elkind and Bowen (1979) Imaginary Audience Scale. Findings indicated a nonlinear relationship between height and self-esteem. Further, self-consciousness emerged as a significant mediator of the relationship between height and self-esteem, accounting for the bulk of the difference in male and female self-esteem scores.