Self-Esteem and Deviance

Broadly defined as a sense of well-being and self-worth, self-esteem reflects one's opinions about oneself. The relationship between self-esteem and deviance is one that is often investigated by researchers and provides a framework for evaluating both the causes and effects of engaging in deviant behavior.

A common perspective in the discussion of self-esteem and deviance is that low self-esteem predisposes an individual to reject positive social norms and to commit deviant acts. Many theoretical explanations, such as social bonding, social learning, or strain, predict that a lack of positive views about the self can increase the lure of participating in nonnormative activities such as deviance. Numerous studies have shown that people of different ages, genders, and racial backgrounds who have low self-esteem are more likely to commit an act of deviance than people who have high self-esteem. From this perspective, committing deviance is thought to be a mechanism for increasing self-esteem. However, it is important to acknowledge that the specific causal factors that lead those with low self-esteem to engage in deviance are still unclear.

Just as it is plausible that low self-esteem may lead to deviance, theoretical arguments can also be made that deviance may lead to low self-esteem. The participation in deviant behavior may result in stigma or shame; if the result is that the individual feels ostracized or overly criticized, his or her self-esteem may suffer. Additionally, some research shows that victimization may lead to offending and that victimization may lead to low self-esteem. Despite the potential for low self-esteem to be either a cause or effect of deviance, there is much greater emphasis in the literature on low self-esteem as a cause of deviance.

Although most research that examines the relationship between self-esteem and deviance addresses how low self-esteem can predict levels of deviance, many researchers have also examined the role of high self-esteem in contributing to deviant behaviors. Although high self-esteem is often viewed as a protective factor that encourages participation in normative behaviors, proponents of the position suggest that high self-esteem is often wrongly judged as low self-esteem. For example, it may be viewed a characteristic of low self-esteem when an individual isolates himself or herself from others, but this could also be due to high self-esteem that leads the individual to devalue the need to associate with others.

High self-esteem predicting deviance is reflective of the concepts of egotism and narcissism, which occur when people have extremely high evaluations of themselves regardless of outside feedback. Outside threats to these high self-perceptions can result in deviant, including aggressive, responses. Critics of this position defend the low–self-esteem position by arguing that there is multidisciplinary support showing how high self-esteem not only is predictive of normative behaviors but also is considered a protective factor against deviance because people with high self-esteem have been shown to be more mature and have diverse coping mechanisms.

The development of self-esteem continues throughout one's life course as people are continually exposed to new experiences and environments, but it is considered to be less subject to fluctuation during adulthood than in childhood. The literature on deviant behavior across the life course provides additional insight on the role that self-esteem plays in understanding deviance. Instead of focusing on group difference, life course criminology provides insights on changes within the individual over time.

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