The present study developed and examined a conceptual model of working through self-defeating patterns. Participants were 390 college students at a large midwestern university. Results indicated that self-defeating patterns mediated the relations between attachment and distress. Also, self-esteem mediated the link between self-defeating patterns…

Findings from a study of the relationships among autonomy deficits, low self-esteem, and eating disorders of 71 college women supported a mediational model in which lack of autonomy was related to decreased global self-esteem, which in turn was associated with bulimia and body dissatisfaction. (SLD)

This paper describes the self-evaluation maintenance model (SEM) which suggests that much social behavior can be understood by assuming that persons are motivated to maintain a positive self-evaluation. The two processes by which one's social circumstances may affect self-evaluation, i.e., reflection and comparison, are described. The relationship…