Calibrating the sociometer: The relationship between interpersonal appraisals and the state self-esteem.

Leary, Mark R.; Haupt, Alison L.; Strausser, Kristine S.; Chokel, Jason T.

doi:10.1037//0022-3514.74.5.1290

Cited by 84 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Sociometer theory ( Leary and Baumeister, 2000 ) has been supported by a range of experimental and questionnaire evidence. Self-esteem responded to a number of social inclusion or exclusion manipulations: For example, participants who are led to believe that they have been rejected by others experience a drop in self-esteem ( Kavanagh, Robins, and Ellis, 2010 ; Leary, Haupt, Strausser, and Chokel, 1998 ). People who reported having higher-quality interpersonal relationships also reported higher levels of self-esteem, aggregate levels of self-esteem in citizens of different countries were positively correlated with the degree of close social interaction characteristic of individuals within those societies ( Denissen, Penke, Schmitt, and van Aken, 2008 ), and people's scores on a variety of measures of self-esteem were positively related to their expectations of being positively evaluated by others ( Back et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Perceived Attractiveness, Romantic Desirability and Self-Esteem: A Mating Sociometer Perspective

Bale

Archer

2013

Evol Psychol

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Sociometer theory proposes that self-esteem is an adaptation which evolved to monitor and regulate interpersonal relationships. It is therefore sensitive to self-assessments in domains relevant to relational desirability. Positive relationships between self-perceived physical attractiveness and self-esteem found in previous studies may reflect the functioning of a mating sociometer, designed to monitor individuals' desirability as romantic or sexual partners. We thus predicted that these relationships should be mediated by self-perceptions of romantic desirability, or more specifically, individuals' confidence in their abilities to successfully establish and maintain romantic relationships. Two hundred and eighty seven young adults (98 male) completed an online measure of self-perceived attractiveness, together with measures of self-confidence in appearance and romantic relationships, body-esteem and global self-esteem. Linear regression analyses indicated that self-perceived attractiveness, self-confidence in appearance and body-esteem all significantly predicted self-esteem, and that in each case, the relationship was mediated by romantic self-confidence. Self-perceived attractiveness predicted self-esteem significantly more strongly in females than in males. We discuss these results in relation to sociometer and parental investment theories, and explore limitations and future directions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Perceived Attractiveness, Romantic Desirability and Self-Esteem: A Mating Sociometer Perspective

Bale

Archer

2013

Evol Psychol

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“…According to the sociometer model, self-esteem has a status-tracking property such that an individual's self-esteem is dependent on his or her level of relational value. The sociometer model proposes that self-esteem is an evolutionary adaptation that allows individuals to monitor the degree to which they are valued by others (i.e., information is being conveyed from the social environment to the individual; Leary, 1999 , 2005; Leary, Haupt, Strausser, and Chokel, 1998 ; Leary and MacDonald, 2003 ). According to the sociometer model, self-esteem is analogous to a gauge that alerts the individual to either gains in his or her relational value (accompanied by increases in self-esteem) or losses in one's value (accompanied by decreases in self-esteem; Leary, 2004 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Implicit Theory of Self-Esteem: The Consequences of Perceived Self-Esteem for Romantic Desirability

Zeigler‐Hill

Myers

2011

Evol Psychol

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The provision of information appears to be an important property of self-esteem as evidenced by previous research concerning the status-tracking and status-signaling models of self-esteem. The present studies examine whether there is an implicit theory of self-esteem that leads individuals to assume targets with higher levels of self-esteem possess more desirable characteristics than those with lower levels of self-esteem. Across 6 studies, targets with ostensibly higher levels of self-esteem were generally rated as more attractive and as more desirable relationship partners than those with lower levels of self-esteem. It is important to note, however, that this general trend did not consistently emerge for female targets. Rather, female targets with high self-esteem were often evaluated less positively than those with more moderate levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of an extended informational model of self-esteem consisting of both the status-tracking and status-signaling properties of self-esteem.

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“…The sociometer hypothesis has received much support throughout the years. For instance, Leary et al. (1998) demonstrated that self-esteem is negatively affected by real or fictitious cues of rejection.…”

Section: Socially Predicted Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An individual’s self-model includes their understanding of their inclusion in the group, which is their self-esteem ( Watson, 2017 ). However, the capacity to accurately compare oneself to the group may be impaired by factors such as mental health issues ( Merianos et al., 2013 ), leading to maladaptive behaviors that reduce the individual’s ability to collaborate with the group and reinforce their exclusion from the necessary resources ( Leary and Tangney, 2003 ; Leary et al., 1998 ; Witvliet et al., 2010 ).…”

Section: Socially Predicted Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling our place in the world: an active inference account of self-esteem

Albarracin,

Bouchard-Joly,

Sheikhbahaee

et al. 2024

Neuroscience of Consciousness

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Self-esteem, the evaluation of one’s own worth or value, is a critical aspect of psychological well-being and mental health. In this paper, we propose an active inference account of self-esteem, casting it as a sociometer or an inferential capacity to interpret one’s standing within a social group. This approach allows us to explore the interaction between an individual’s self-perception and the expectations of their social environment.When there is a mismatch between these perceptions and expectations, the individual needs to adjust their actions or update their self-perception to better align with their current experiences. We also consider this hypothesis in relation with recent research on affective inference, suggesting that self-esteem enables the individual to track and respond to this discrepancy through affective states such as anxiety or positive affect. By acting as an inferential sociometer, self-esteem allows individuals to navigate and adapt to their social environment, ultimately impacting their psychological well-being and mental health.

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Calibrating the sociometer: The relationship between interpersonal appraisals and the state self-esteem.

Cited by 84 publications

References 23 publications

Self-Perceived Attractiveness, Romantic Desirability and Self-Esteem: A Mating Sociometer Perspective

Self-Perceived Attractiveness, Romantic Desirability and Self-Esteem: A Mating Sociometer Perspective

An Implicit Theory of Self-Esteem: The Consequences of Perceived Self-Esteem for Romantic Desirability

Feeling our place in the world: an active inference account of self-esteem

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