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Self and Health: Factors That Encourage Self-Esteem and Functional Health

¹ Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta.
² Institute on Aging, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Address correspondence to Donald C. Reitzes, PhD, Georgia State University, Department of Sociology, University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30303. E-mail: socdcr{at}langate.gsu.edu

Objectives. We are interested in whether functional health enhances self-esteem, as well as whether self-esteem, worker, parent, and friend identities are related to changes in functional health over a 2-year period of study.

Methods. Data were collected in 1992 and 1994 from 737 older workers living in a North Carolina metropolitan area. Functional health is derived from questions asking respondents about their difficulties performing seven activities. We use Rosenberg's (1965) 10-item scale to tap self-esteem, and identities are measured with 10 adjective pairs that cover being competent, confident, and sociable as a worker, parent, and friend.

Results. Several findings are of interest. Better functional health is associated with greater self-esteem over 2 years, and self-esteem is positively related to changes in functional health. In addition, worker identity and some social background factors are associated with positive changes in self-esteem.

Discussion. The findings suggest that good health may contribute to positive self assessments, but also the less well-studied expectation that self processes are associated with positive changes in health. Individuals may be motivated by their desire to affirm a sense of self-worth and positive identities to maintain and improve their physical health.