Deconfounding the effects of dominance and social acceptance on self-esteem.

Abstract

Three studies examined the independent effects of social acceptance and dominance on self-esteem. In Studies 1 and 2, participants received false feedback regarding their relative acceptance and dominance in a laboratory group, and state self-esteem was assessed. Results indicated that acceptance and dominance feedback had independent effects on self-esteem. Study 2 showed that these effects were not moderated by individual differences in participants' self-reported responsivity to being accepted versus dominant. In Study 3, participants completed multiple measures of perceived dominance, perceived acceptance, and trait self-esteem. Results showed that both perceived dominance and perceived acceptance accounted for unique variance in trait self-esteem, but that perceived acceptance consistently accounted for substantially more variance than perceived dominance. Also, trait self-esteem was related to the degree to which participants felt accepted by specific people in their lives, but not to the degree to which participants thought those individuals perceived them as dominant.

Cites (2)

1. Measuring the Functional Components of Social Support
   Cohen, Sheldon, Mermelstein, Robin, Kamarck, Tom, Hoberman, Harry M. · 1985 · Social Support: Theory, Research and Applications
2. Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem.
   Heatherton, Todd F., Polivy, Janet · 1991 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Cited by (12)

1. Acute stressors and cortisol responses: a theoretical integration and synthesis of laboratory research
   Dickerson, Sally S., Kemeny, Margaret E. · 2004 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Is the desire for status a fundamental human motive? A review of the empirical literature.
   Anderson, Cameron, Hildreth, John Angus D., Howland, Laura · 2015 · Psychological Bulletin
3. Reactions to discrimination, stigmatization, ostracism, and other forms of interpersonal rejection: A multimotive model
   Smart Richman, Laura, Leary, Mark R. · 2009 · Psychological Review
4. Motivational and emotional aspects of the self
   Leary, Mark R. · 2007 · Annual Review of Psychology
5. Rejection elicits emotional reactions but neither causes immediate distress nor lowers self-esteem: a meta-analytic review of 192 studies on social exclusion
   Blackhart, Ginette C., Nelson, Brian C., Knowles, Megan L., Baumeister, Roy F. · 2009 · Personality and Social Psychology Review
6. On Being Rejected: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Research on Rejection
   Gerber, Jonathan, Wheeler, Ladd · 2009 · Perspectives on Psychological Science
7. An eating disorder-specific model of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-ED): Causal pathways and treatment implications
   Rieger, Elizabeth, Van Buren, Dorothy J., Bishop, Monica, Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian, Welch, Robinson, Wilfley, Denise E. · 2010 · Clinical Psychology Review
8. Anxiety and Intergroup Bias: Terror Management or Coalitional Psychology?
   Navarrete, C. David, Kurzban, Robert, Fessler, Daniel M. T., Kirkpatrick, Lee A. · 2004 · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations
9. Peer attachment and self-esteem: A meta-analytic review
   Gorrese, Anna, Ruggieri, Ruggero · 2013 · Personality and Individual Differences
10. Is self-regard a sociometer or a hierometer? Self-esteem tracks status and inclusion, narcissism tracks status.
    Mahadevan, Nikhila, Gregg, Aiden P., Sedikides, Constantine · 2019 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
11. I like me if you like me: On the interpersonal modulation and regulation of preadolescents’ state self-esteem
    Thomaes, Sander, Reijntjes, Albert, Orobio de Castro, Bram, Bushman, Brad J, Poorthuis, Astrid, Telch, Michael J · 2010 · Child Development
12. Cultural norm fulfillment, interpersonal belonging, or getting ahead? A large-scale cross-cultural test of three perspectives on the function of self-esteem.
    Gebauer, Jochen E., Sedikides, Constantine, Wagner, Jenny, Bleidorn, Wiebke, Rentfrow, Peter J., Potter, Jeff, Gosling, Samuel D. · 2015 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology