Mattering

Conceptualizing Mattering

The mattering construct was introduced by Morris Rosenberg as an extension of his seminal work on self-esteem. Rosenberg and Claire McCullough identified three components of mattering: (a) the sense that other people depend on us, (b) the perception that other people regard us as important, and (c) the realization that other people actively pay attention to us. In 1985, Rosenberg expanded this conceptualization by suggesting that mattering reflects a sense of ego extension and includes the notion that other people would miss us if we were no longer around. Nancy Schlossberg identified another element of mattering—feeling appreciated by others—on the basis of interviews she conducted with caregivers.

Unfortunately, mattering is often equated erroneously with a need to belong. The need to belong is related to mattering but is quite different in that someone who has a need to belong is focused on fitting in and being accepted (e.g., becoming a member of a peer group). In contrast, mattering focuses on whether someone feels a sense of significance. Someone could be a part of a group and [Page 1343]have a sense of belonging yet not feel an individual sense of importance or significance.

Mattering is often regarded as a type of self-esteem, but it has unique protective features that distinguish it from self-esteem: People who believe that they matter to others have a key protective resource that typically buffers them from life stressors and challenges throughout their lives. In addition, individual differences in levels of mattering predict unique variance in well-being and distress beyond the variance attributable to self-esteem (as well as to risk factors such as low social support).

Measuring Mattering

Mattering is often assessed as a global construct in terms of an overall sense of mattering. For instance, the five-item General Mattering Scale has items such as “How important are you to others?” Another self-report inventory developed by Gregory Elliott called the Mattering Index measures overall mattering from a global perspective but has three subscales or facets that assess: (a) how much others are aware of the individual, (b) the extent to which the person is seen as important or significant, and (c) the extent to which mattering derives from other people depending on that person. People can also be assessed more specifically in terms of their perceived mattering to specific people in their lives (i.e., one’s mother, father, and friends), and one scale assesses perceived mattering to romantic partners. Mattering has also been assessed with respect to specific contexts, such as mattering at work and mattering at school. Brief survey measures have been used to assess mattering in the community.

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