Conducted 2 experiments with a total of 98 female undergraduates to test a need-for-self-esteem notion that people inflate self-appraisals of ability, deny criticism, and overrespond to praise. In Exp I actor Ss and bystander Ss rated actors' performances on a nonobjective task after hearing the performance praised or criticized or before hearing it evaluated. No evidence of self-enhancement was found; compared to bystanders, actors rated themselves harshly, lowered their ratings after criticism equally, and showed relief after praise. Exp II compared actor and bystander ratings of actors who expected evaluation of their performances or who expected no evaluation. Results suggest self-derogation by actors as a defense against possible loss of self-esteem. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)