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The Impact of Unfair Treatment on Depressive Mood: The Moderating Role of Self-Esteem Level and Self-Esteem Instability

University of Bern, Switzerland

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: laurenz.meier{at}psy.unibe.ch.

	Abstract

This research examines the moderating roles of self-esteem level and self-esteem instability in the relationship between perceived unfair treatment and depressive mood. Based on the assumption that unfairness is a threat to one’s social standing and self-esteem, the authors proposed that individuals with highly fragile self-esteem (i.e., the combination of unstable and high self-esteem) react more strongly when experiencing unfair treatment. This hypothesis was tested in a real-world setting using cross-sectional and diary data of 101 employees. As expected, unfair treatment was related to depressive mood among individuals with unstable high self-esteem but not among individuals with stable high self-esteem. This pattern of results held for both cross-sectional and diary data. In contrast, unfairness was not related to depressive mood among individuals with unstable low self-esteem.

First published on February 24, 2009, doi:10.1177/0146167208331337

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2009;35:643.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2009


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