The effects of ability, self-esteem and task difficulty on performance and task satisfaction

Abstract

Korman's self-consistency theory maintains that chronic self-esteem is positively related to performance with the form of the relationship being affected by ability and task difficulty. However, previous research findings suggest that observed relationships between chronic self-esteem and performance are attributable to a positive correlation between chronic self-esteem and ability. Thus an alternative hypothesis is that task relevant abilities predict performance and that chronic self-esteem has no relationship to performance when ability is controlled. These hypotheses were tested with 24 high and 24 low self-esteem subjects who worked on manipulative and cognitive tasks that varied in difficulty. Following Korman's procedure, chronic self-esteem was measured by Ghiselli's Self-Assurance Scale. When self-esteem and abilities were used as joint predictors of performance, self-esteem was unrelated to performance. Analyses of task satisfaction also did not support Korman's theory. The main predictor of task satisfaction was perceived skill-utilization. It was concluded that chronic self-esteem, as measured by the Ghiselli Self-Assurance Scale, was not a motivational construct but was best interpreted as an estimate of task ability.