中華心理衛生協會

Previous research proposed that asking for help might be seen as a lack of ability by individuals with high self-esteem, and that they are thus less likely to seek help as compared to those with low self-esteem. Other studies have suggested that the feeling of taxing others' resources may also prevent people from seeking help. Recent research indicated that self-esteem is related to deservingness beliefs (one's beliefs about whether one deserves good/bad outcomes). Purpose: The purpose of this study is to bring these research strands together to examine whether a person's self-esteem in different contexts influences that person's willingness to seek help. Method: A total of 80 participants were randomly assigned to 2 (self-esteem: high vs. low) × 2 (help-seeking context: threatening vs. burden) experimental conditions. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to probe the interaction between two independent variables and the mediation effect of deservingness beliefs. Result: The results indicated that only in the burden context were participants with higher self-esteem significantly more willing to seek help from others. Deservingness beliefs mediated the relationship. Conclusion: While previous research has shown that people with high self-esteem are reluctant to seek help, this study shows that people with high self-esteem are more willing to ask for help when the context highlights personal deservingness. Research limitations and future implications are discussed.