Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Leadership Studies

This concurrent mixed methods study examined how the experiences of being a woman in computing affects her self-esteem over the course of her undergraduate career and into professional employment. Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale that applies both competence and worthiness constructs. General (global) self-esteem was compared to self-esteem within the context of computing (computing-based self-esteem). Female attendees (N=546) of ACM-W celebrations of women in computing were invited to complete a Computing Experience Survey (CES). Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately then mixed to validate findings. Quantitative results indicated that women reported significantly lower computing-based self-esteem than global self-esteem. Additionally, competence and worthiness significantly differed within computing-based self-esteem throughout one's college progression and into the profession. All measures of self-esteem (global, computing-based, competence, and worthiness) improve for professionals. Analysis of open-ended questions illustrated that competence and worthiness are intertwined in computing experiences, and positive and negative experiences often contained a social component. The following conclusions were presented: (1) context matters when measuring self-esteem; (2) competence and worthiness are separate but related dimensions of self-esteem; (3) computing-based self-esteem changes throughout a student's college career and into the profession; (4) experiences in computing provide explanations for these changes in computing-based self-esteem and shed light on persistence, career faithfulness, and leadership; and, (5) when worthiness is present, it is strongly tied to competence for women in computing.

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2019, Psychology, Clinical

Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem (RCSE) involves individuals basing their self-regard on the nature and outcome of their relationship (Knee, Canevello, Bush, & Cook, 2008). RCSE is said to occur from a thwarting of basic psychological needs, including competence, relatedness, and autonomy (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Knee et al., 2008). When these needs are not fulfilled, issues such as feelings of incompetence, a lack of feeling of control, and issues with connecting with others can occur (Hadden, Rodriguez, Knee, & Porter, 2015). Further, those high in RCSE can have lower relationship satisfaction and experience higher levels of negative emotion (Knee et al., 2008). The objective of the study is to examine how certain personality risk and protective factors that are correlates of the basic psychological needs influence the relationship between RCSE and relationship satisfaction and the experience of negative emotion (i.e., depression). The study draws from a large sample of university alumni (N = 2903) ranging in age from 21 to 90 years old (M = 45.1) from a private Catholic US university. Participants were asked to complete a survey containing a range of measures that examined various personality factors, as well as their current level of depression and satisfaction. Based on moderation analyses (Cohen, Cohen, West, & Aiken, 2003), results indicated a significant positive association between RCSE and relationship satisfaction for males that weakened as level of competence increased. However, no significant association between RCSE and relationship satisfaction was found for any of the other correlates of the basic psychological needs. For both males and females low in autonomy, high in anxious attachment, and high in self-alienation, a significant positive association was found to exist between RCSE and depression. Similarly, a significant positive association was also found for females low in competence and self-compassion and for males low in relatedness and hi (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Science, Walsh University, 2019, Honors

In the year 2000, it was estimated that in the United States there were 800,000 patients with an ostomy. Researchers further estimated that this number would grow by 3% annually (Turnbull, 2003). An ostomy is the surgically made opening in the body that is used as an artificial passageway for the elimination of bodily waste. There are three types of ostomies: colostomy, ileostomy, and urostomy. This surgical procedure causes a drastic change in how the body functions, creating new challenges for the patient which can directly affect the ostomy patient's self-esteem and body image. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between certain variables, specifically gender, race, age, the number of times a patient met with an ostomy nurse preoperatively, the type of ostomy surgical approach used (laparoscopic or traditional/open method), and if any complications were experienced following the surgery, and their impact on body image and self-esteem following the surgery. Advances in medical technology and procedures such as laparoscopic colorectal surgery (using small incisions, a camera, and thin instruments to perform surgery without completely opening up the body) and preoperative marking of the stoma, have enabled patients to have a faster recovery time and a decreased hospitalization stay. Faster recovery time and less hospitalization is a positive outcome; however, this leaves less time to educate patients and allow them to become proficient with their stoma care before they are discharged (Burch & Slater, 2012; WOCN Society, 2018). How much the patient is taught about the surgical procedure, the procedure's resulting physical change in body function, the adaptations to these bodily changes, the coping mechanisms for the adaptations, and the possible side effects the surgical procedure may have on the patient's psychosocial well being, could affect the patient's body image and self-esteem after the surgery. This project provides essentia (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2018, Psychology, Clinical

There has been much research done on self-esteem in the field of psychology, and its effect on mental health, such as depression, has also been well-documented. More recently, the concept of contingent self-esteem has been introduced, and initial research suggests that individuals high in contingent self-esteem, meaning they base their self-esteem on external factors, have a higher rate of depressive symptoms. A relatively new type of contingent self-esteem, known as relationship contingent self-esteem (RCSE), is used to describe those who base their self-esteem predominately on their romantic relationships. Due to the research confirming the relationship between contingent self-esteem and depressive symptoms, it stands to reason that individuals high in RCSE would also experience higher levels of depressive symptoms. However, the association between RCSE and mental health had not yet been studied. This study examined the direct relationship between RCSE and mental health. It also analyzed whether current relationship functioning could serve as a moderator between RCSE and mental health. The current study hypothesized a moderated mediation relationship in which general self-esteem would mediate the relationship between the interaction of RCSE and relationship functioning (RCSE*Relationship Functioning) and mental health. Participants (n=121) were recruited from introductory psychology courses at a mid-size Midwestern Catholic university. Participants were administered six self-report questionnaires in groups of no more than 30, and were instructed to complete each questionnaire independently, and silently. The questionnaires were randomized in terms of order, with the order of the questionnaires having been determined using Latin Square design. Results indicated that the relationship between RCSE and depression was not significant as hypothesized. However, RCSE was found to be positively correlated with anxiety; meaning that the higher the individual is on RCS (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Psychology

A puzzling finding in the self-esteem literature is that implicit, or indirect, and explicit, or direct, measures of self-esteem are frequently unrelated to each other. This dissociation may stem from the fact that individuals fail to integrate the affect they experience in thinking about the self into an overt judgment. The present work investigated whether meditation, or the practice of sustaining attention in a non-judgmental manner, leads individuals to rely on their affect towards the self in making a self-evaluation. In a series of four studies it was shown that meditation enhanced correspondence between implicit and explicit measures of self-esteem in both field and experimental settings. Meditation did not influence the mean levels of implicitly and explicitly assessed self-esteem, suggesting that participants responded congruently with their automatic self-evaluation, regardless of its valence. The present work contributes to the understanding of how affect and cognitive deliberation influence responding on implicit and explicit measures of self-esteem.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Psychology

Only within the past 30 years have psychologists begun to systematically examine the effects of perceived discrimination (PD) on stigmatized individuals. Since then, the research has offered a variety of findings that may initially seem to contradict one another. The majority of research conducted within a feedback-oriented paradigm has found that perceiving discrimination can help individuals externalize reasons for failure, therefore buffering self-esteem and well-being. Other lines of research have suggested that attributions to prejudice across time and contexts ultimately have deleterious effects on well-being, in spite of whatever short-term gains may result from externalizing failure. A recent structural equation model examining the effects of perceived discrimination has examined two paradoxical effects; (a) social rejection and (b) identification with one's in-group. While social rejection was found to be inversely related to well-being, ethnic identification was found to buffer the relationship between PD and well-being. By specifying both positive and negative consequences to PD, the Rejection-Identification Model (RIM) provided a deeper understanding of the complexity involved with stigmatization and the struggle faced by those targeted by discrimination. While the RIM has provided new insights and elucidated several key pathways in the formation of well-being, the model can be improved by incorporating current theory. First, the current study proposes that perceived discrimination only affects collective well-being directly, since discrimination, when perceived as motivated by racial prejudice, is an attack on a person's group-level identity. Any consequences to one's personal identity are thought to be indirect and likely mediated by collective well-being. Second, research stemming from Social Identity Theory suggests that collective well-being and personal well-being are interrelated; therefore, in so far as perceived discrimination affects well-being (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2008, Music Education/Comprehensive Music Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a music-based intervention program on the self-esteem levels of elementary students. All subjects in the control andtreatment groups were pretested with Harter's (1985) self-perception profile for children, What I Am Like. After a ten-week intervention with the treatment group, all subjects were posttested with the same survey. The quantitative results showed that mean gains in perceptions of global self-worth, scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, or behavioral conduct could not be explained by participation in the musical treatment group. However, in semi-structured interviews, twenty of the twenty-one members of the treatment group reported valuing their participation in the intervention, and some individuals in both the treatment and control groups experienced gains in global self-worth and/or other dimensions of self-esteem from pretest to posttest. These results suggest that self-esteem intervention programs may need to be individualized based on a person's self-esteem strengths and weaknesses, or that interventions may need to be administered to groups with common interests and values in order to be effective.

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Music Education/Instrumental Music Education

This study investigated the effects of auditioning for band and seating placement on the motivation and musical self-esteem of high school wind musicians. Subjects were 31 students involved in the band program of one high school in a suburban Ohio community. Students in this band program were required to audition for placement into a ranked seating order within one of two ability-based concert bands. Motivation in music was measured by the Asmus Motivating Factors scale, and musical self-esteem was measured by a researcher-designed questionnaire loosely based upon items from the Svengalis Self-Concept in Music scale and the Schmitt Self-Esteem of Musical Ability scale. These questionnaires were distributed immediately prior to auditions, just after auditions, and one month after auditions (when the bands had performed in concert once together). Pretest, posttest, and follow-up scores were compared using statistical means, the Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test, and Tukey's Multiple Comparison procedure. Statistical differences between the pretest and posttest scores indicated short-term effects of band and seating placement on motivation and musical self-esteem, and differences between the pretest and follow-up indicated long-term effects. Results indicated no statistically significant effects of band and seating placement on the motivation and musical self-esteem of high school wind musicians in this study. Statistical trends in this study indicated that 1) students in this study decreased in the strength of their attributions over time, 2) students tended to attribute their achievements in music to ability first, followed by effort, affect toward music, classroom environment, and background in music, 3) students tended to attribute their achievements to ability rather than to effort, 4) most negative effects of the band and seating placement process on the motivation and musical self-esteem of high school wind musicians were short-lived in nature, (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

Black urban youth face many obstacles in their personal development and future pursuits. Many of these obstacles result from systemic challenges that exist within their communities and cultural norms that negatively shape their self-concept and possible selves, a concept which argues that future self-concepts are constructed through personal evaluation of a current and desired future state. Corporate-education partnerships have recently been introduced to urban communities as a way to introduce youth to alternative professional pathways, although there are few studies about the extent to which Black urban youth are impacted by such partnerships. Using the possible selves theory, this study explored how one corporate-education partnership influences the self-concept and possible selves of Black urban youth engaging in a mentoring program, and the extent to which engagement in the program affected their view of themselves and future aspirations. This study focused on the Infinity Mentoring program, which is a partnership program between the Ascension corporation, Woodsby High School, and community-based organization Cincinnati Youth Connection (all pseudonyms). Findings from this study showed that participants in the program had improved feelings or self-concept about themselves and that participants gained increased motivation toward college, career, and their future aspirations as a result of the Infinity Mentoring program. The study adds to the scholarship on corporate-education partnerships, demonstrating the intrinsic impact these partnerships can have on Black urban students.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2022, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT) is a manualized, group-based intervention that was originally developed to treat self-stigma among individuals who present with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs; Roe, Lysaker, & Yanos, 2013). NECT has been shown to effectively reduce these individuals' experience of self-stigma, and diminish its negative effects on their hope, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and quality of life (Yanos, Roe, & Lysaker, 2011). Supportive literature is scarce regarding NECT's efficacy with people who have multiple stigmatized identities. For the purposes of this pilot study, NECT was implemented with a correctional psychiatric population. Research supports this population is doubly, and sometimes triply, stigmatized, which increases their likelihood of experiencing self-stigma and its negative implications (West, Yanos, & Mulay, 2014). The current study sought to ascertain if mental illness self-stigma and criminality self-stigma scores reduced within this population between the start and end of NECT treatment. This study also explored whether NECT would have a beneficial impact on self-efficacy and self-esteem over the course of the treatment. To address the research questions posed, pre- and post-NECT treatment differences were explored through paired samples t-tests. A repeated measures ANOVA was also completed to evaluate patterns in self-esteem and self-efficacy scores across treatment. Finally, a repeated measures correlation (rmcorr) was conducted to analyze within-individual relationships between self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-stigma. Results demonstrated improvements in reported mental health self-stigma, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Criminality self-stigma increased posttreatment. Results regarding common within-individual patterns between variables were mixed.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2021, College of Education and Human Services

This research addresses the barriers, support, and aspiration of single mothers participating in work-based training programs. This basic qualitative interpretive study aimed to fill a gap in the literature on understanding the barriers low-wage adult single mother service workers encounter while participating in voluntary workplace learning programs and the support, which has allowed them to persevere. The research considered the following: 1) What were the perceived barriers low-wage, single, adult mothers faced while participating in work-based voluntary training programs offered by their employers? 2) The types of support systems low-wage single adult female participants received while pursuing work-based voluntary training programs? 3) To what degree did participating in work-based voluntary training programs impact low-wage single adult mothers' career plans? Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 15 low-wage single mother participants working either full or part-time in one of two healthcare facilities in Ohio and Michigan. This study used the situational, dispositional, and institutional barriers to learning in Cross (1981) as its theoretical framework. The findings from this study indicate that low-wage single mothers faced obstacles such as lack of childcare, transportation, finances, and time. Time poverty was one of the most insidious barriers reported in this study. Additionally, this study showed how low-wage single mothers navigated their environment by seeking support from various resources as they participated in work-based training programs. The findings of this study suggest that public policy can play a pivotal role in addressing challenges specific to low-wage single working mothers by increasing their economic opportunity and possibly strengthen the fabric of communities across the nation. Of particular interest is how the government can best aid in assisting single working mothers to gain the financial secur (open full item for complete abstract)

BA, Oberlin College, 2021, Sociology

This paper contributes to existing research on race, educational experiences, access to higher education, and self-esteem. Through fifteen in-depth interviews with Oberlin students of color, I investigate the impact of tracking in high school experiences as it relates to self-esteem and identity. Additionally, I examine how these experiences, along with educational support, affect access to higher education. Three major findings emerge. First, during late elementary school/early middle school, students are assessed, grouped by presumed abilities, and placed in specific, racialized educational tracks. My participants described a train analogy in which the advanced track train leaves the station in early middle school. Once departed, there are minimal opportunities to change tracks, creating barriers to advanced high school classes, further disadvantaging students of color regarding access to higher education. Second, competing identities emerge, particularly among Black and biracial students tracked into advanced courses. An educational identity—in which students strive for academic excellence—emerges alongside a social identity rooted in cultural dissonance, isolation, and alienation during interactions with Black peers/community members with limited access to higher education. These dueling identities affect self-concept and self-esteem negatively. Third, high school type (i.e., public or private) impacts students' access to resources ranging from preparatory skills to individualized guidance counselor support. Elite colleges tend to recruit from predominantly white private high schools, thus perpetuating racialized gatekeeping practices and further disadvantaging students of color.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Psychology

Core worth refers to individual differences in people's belief that they possess unassailable worth and value. It is postulated that because people want to feel like they are worthwhile and valuable, perceptions of self-worth can color cognition and motivate behavior, particularly across topics and situations where one's sense of self might be threatened. I argue that individuals high in core worth are more insulated from self-threatening situations. Studies 1-3 detail the creation of a measure of core worth, demonstrate test-retest reliability, and examine correlations between core worth and similar constructs. Additionally, I examine correlations between core worth and constructs relevant to responding to self-threat. Core worth positively correlated with self-esteem, self-acceptance, private contingencies of self-worth, and either negatively correlated with or did not correlate with public contingencies of self-worth, demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity. As expected, core worth did not correlate with self-beliefs related to one's attitude stability and only had a very small correlation with self-beliefs regarding thought suppression, further demonstrating discriminant validity. Core worth also positively but moderately correlated with several measures related to coping with self-threat above and beyond both self-esteem and self-acceptance. This pattern demonstrated core worth's potential link to useful behavioral and motivational correlates of coping with self-threat and providing evidence that it is not isomorphic with other related constructs. Study 4 directly examined the extent to which core worth was uniquely predictive of persuasion outcomes. At average levels of self-esteem, Individuals reporting higher levels of core worth were shown to be more open to counter-attitudinal messages than individuals reporting lower levels of core worth when messages were one-sided but not two-sided. However, at average levels of core worth, individuals hi (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Psychology

Negative beliefs regarding the self are a key feature of depression, over and above beliefs about the future or beliefs about the world. A clinically relevant measure of self-view could help further understanding of the relationship between depression and an individual's view of self. Assessing negative beliefs about the self could also help clinicians identify targets for treatment and monitor progress during psychotherapy for depression. The present study provided an initial investigation of the reliability and validity of the View of Self Scale (VOSS), a new theoretically-derived measure designed to assess negative beliefs about the self. Theoretically-derived subscales focus on cognitions of self-worth, competence, and social desirability. The VOSS was administered to two samples: a clinical sample of depressed veterans recruited from a psychiatric outpatient and day treatment program at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and a community sample of adults collected from food pantries in the greater Chicagoland area. The VOSS demonstrated strong psychometric properties in the present samples. Participants in the clinical sample reported significantly more negative self-views than the community adult sample. Self-view scores exhibited large correlations with depression severity in both depressed patients and community adults. VOSS scores were also significantly related to age in the clinical sample, but not in the community sample. The findings from this study reinforce the idea that psychotherapeutic interventions focused on addressing self-view such as cognitive behavioral therapy may help to prevent or reduce the symptoms of depression.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Human Ecology: Fashion and Retail Studies

Facial-mapping augmented reality interactive technology (ARIT) has enabled consumers to virtually wear beauty products (Weinswig, 2016). For consumers, this technology is considered “a revolutionary way of self-expression (Ongley, 2016)”. For beauty retailers, it is viewed as a new “guided selling tool” effectively transitioning online shoppers to actual beauty product buyers (Milnes, 2016). With the increasing importance of consumer experience (CX) in marketing (Kruman, 2017), satisfaction as emotional evaluation has attracted more attention as a key to understand consumer behavior toward retailer services. Belk (1988) explained a consumer's purchasing behavior as the effort of “extending self” or enhancing self-image. Recently, the traditional self-concept established in the physical world has been blurred by social media, clouds, and digital technologies (Belk, 2013). A consumers' overall sense of self now exists across the physical and the digital world (Elwell, 2013). Accordingly, consumer behaviors influenced by self-image are expected to have changed with the digitally blended retailing environment. The proliferation of selfie in social networks has created perceived gaps between “ideal-look” online and “daily-look” offline self-images (Rettberg, 2017). According to self-image discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987), the beauty consumers in social networks are likely to engage in behaviors that reduce appearance self-image discrepancies between the physical (offline) and digital (online) dimensions. As consumer's experience of AR/digital makeup, selfie experience is expected to strengthen the satisfaction effect of ARIT makeup on behavior intention, and to encourage the individual to conform to the appearance ideal in society. This dissertation introduced state appearance self-esteem (i.e., satisfaction with ARIT makeup) as a key factor for converting ARIT makeup service triers to loyal customers in reality. Two studies were conducted for this research. Study (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies /Kinesiology

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was threefold. The main purpose was to investigate the effects of motivational factors on self-handicapping (SH) in collegiate athletes. Second, this study aimed to examine the relationship between self-esteem and SH. Lastly, this study sought to explore gender differences in SH in athletes. Method: Collegiate athletes (N = 43) from the softball and baseball teams at a Midwestern Division I university completed surveys at three different time points. During the first assessment, athletes completed a battery of questionnaires assessing their trait SH, perceptions of the motivational climate, dispositional goal orientations, self-esteem, and ratings of game importance. The second and third assessments were determined by the athletes' game importance ratings. During assessments two and three, athletes were given the opportunity to claim impediments and coaches completed assessments of practice effort. Results: Initial multiple regression analyses revealed sport to be the only significant predictor for claimed SH. Thus, all subsequent analyses were conducted for softball and baseball separately. Mastery climate significantly predicted the number of claimed impediments (p < .05) and self-reported impact (p < .05) for the less important game for softball. Task-approach orientation significantly predicted self-reported impact (p < .05) for the more important game for softball. Self-esteem significantly predicted behavioral SH (p < .05) for the less important game for baseball. Conclusion: These findings suggest that gender differences may exist in SH strategies in collegiate athletes. Additionally, motivational factors appear to be important in predicting SH. Notably, task-approach orientation may be an avenue to explore for decreasing SH strategies used by athletes. Furthermore, the current study provides further evidence supporting the negative relationship between self-esteem and SH.

BA, Kent State University, 2019, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Homeschooling has become an increasingly popular form of educating children over the years, with many studies showing homeschooling to be beneficial for the academic and personal well-being of students. In spite of the potential benefits of homeschooling, research suggests that this educational minority may be stigmatized and stereotyped. This stigmatization and stereotyping, if internalized, can negatively affect how these individuals view themselves, which is subsequently associated with lower self-concept, specifically, self-esteem and mastery. Researchers have compared the self-concept of homeschoolers relative to their non-homeschooled peers, yet little research exists examining how stereotypes affect homeschoolers, including the extent to which they internalize stereotypes and whether their self-concept is affected by these stereotypes. Using an online survey of 540 respondents, this study sought to address this gap in literature by examining public and self-perceptions of homeschoolers, as well as from where these perceptions originate and the association between self-perceptions and self-concept. Findings indicated that participants did not endorse common stereotypes of homeschoolers. For the full and non-homeschooled sample of participants, respondents were more likely to indicate direct observation as the source of perceptions regarding homeschooling; while homeschoolers were more likely to indicate they believed perceptions came from popular media. This study also found that internalizing positive and negative stereotypes was significantly associated with mastery for individuals who have been homeschooled, but not with self-esteem.

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2017, College of Sciences and Health Professions

The object of this thesis was to examine the illness experience of veterans who have suffered either a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Predictors of key psychosocial outcomes were identified by looking at the illness experience through the veterans' perspective via self-report measures. Results confirmed relationships between the stressors role captivity, low self-esteem, decreased socialization, and dyad relationship strain and the outcome of depression and between the stressors physical strain and emotional strain and the outcome social/recreational participation for this population. More importantly, role captivity, social/recreational strain, and self-esteem uniquely predicted depression, and both physical and emotional strain uniquely predicted social/recreational strain in veterans with brain injury. Not only has this study demonstrated how the illness experience predicts key psychosocial outcomes in VBIs, it has also illustrated that self-reports from VBIs are reliable and valid indicators of their illness experiences and should be seriously considered when constructing treatment goals and plans.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Experimental Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

The present studies support the assumption that when an important part of self-worth is threatened, priming a different part of self-worth reduces negative consequences associated with the threat. In particular, I test the hypothesis that shifting the weight, or temporary importance, from one contingency of self-worth (CSW) to a different contingency of self-worth will reduce self-handicapping and prevent lowered self-esteem and negative affect experienced when failure occurs in an important domain. Results across four studies partially support this hypothesis. Studies 1 and 2 limited the CSW domains to virtue and academic success. As predicted, priming a CSW that is inconsistent with the task domain (e.g., priming virtue after negative academic feedback), resulted in less self-handicapping relative to priming a CSW that is consistent with the task domain (e.g., priming academics after negative academic feedback). Similarly, for people whose self-worth is staked in academic success, an inconsistent prime/task procedure resulted in marginally higher self-esteem and less negative affect relative to a consistent prime/task procedure. Studies 3 and 4 extended the domain to athletics. Although significant differences were not found between consistent and inconsistent prime/task procedures with regard to self-esteem or negative affect (Study 4), overall sports domain importance interacted with prime/task consistency to predict self-handicapping in the hypothesized direction (Study 3). Finally, the proposed intervention was effective in increasing intrinsic motivation on athletic and academic tasks, suggesting that priming a CSW in a non-threatened domain may be effective in promoting a greater sense of autonomy and enjoyment in a threatened CSW domain.