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Self-Esteem and Alcohol Use: Implications for Aggressive Behavior

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Abstract

Previous research has revealed an intimate connection between alcohol use and aggression. However, it is also clear that alcohol use has a stronger association with aggression for some individuals than it does for others. As a result, researchers have become interested in examining how individual differences may influence the association between alcohol use and aggression. The purpose of the present work is to provide a review of the literature that focuses on the separate connections that self-esteem has with alcohol use and aggression as well as provide some ideas about the role that self-esteem may play in the link between alcohol use and aggression. We review the most prominent explanations for the links that self-esteem has been found to have with alcohol use and aggression (e.g., the vulnerability model which argues that alcohol use is a consequence of low self-esteem). Recent advancements in the self-esteem literature concerning distinctions between secure and fragile forms of self-esteem are discussed in terms of their potential implications for understanding the links that self-esteem has with alcohol use and aggression. Finally, we speculate about the possible role that fragile high self-esteem may play in the connection between alcohol use and aggression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 212A Pryale Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, USA

    Eric R. Dahlen & Michael B. Madson

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  1. Virgil Zeigler-Hill
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  2. Eric R. Dahlen
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  3. Michael B. Madson
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Correspondence to Virgil Zeigler-Hill.

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Zeigler-Hill, V., Dahlen, E.R. & Madson, M.B. Self-Esteem and Alcohol Use: Implications for Aggressive Behavior. Int J Ment Health Addiction 15, 1103–1117 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9764-9

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