DO EGO-RESILIENCY, SELF-EFFICACY AND LIFE ORIENTATION PREDICT SELF-ESTEEM OF TOP WORLD MAGICIANS? AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Performing as an illusionist requires having adequate internal and personality resources. These determine the success of stage performance and have an impact on how an individual perceives self, and influence the self-esteem. The aim of the article is to determine how ego-resiliency, self-efficacy, and optimism influence the self-esteem of top-world magicians. A group of 50 top world magicians – world champions of magic – took part in the research. The participants were surveyed using the Self-Esteem Scale (SES), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER11), and the Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). Results showed positive, statistically significant correlations between self-esteem and: self-efficacy, ego-resiliency dimensions, and positive life orientation amongst the surveyed sample. Moreover, stepwise regression analysis allowed determining predictors of self-esteem, where the strongest one was optimism.