Self-Esteem and Favoritism Toward Novel In-Groups: The Self as an Evaluative Base.
Abstract
The self-as-evaluative base (SEB) hypothesis proposes that self-evaluation extends automatically via an amotivated consistency process to affect evaluation of novel in-groups. Four minimal group studies support SEB. Personal trait self-esteem (PSE) predicted increased favoritism toward a novel in-group that, objectively, was equivalent to the out-group (Study 1). This association was independent of information-processing effects (Study 1), collective self-esteem, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and narcissism (Studies 2 and 3). A self-affirmation manipulation attenuated the association between in-group favoritism and an individual difference associated with motivated social identity concerns (RWA) but did not alter the PSE effect (Study 3). Finally, the association between PSE and in-group favoritism remained positive even when the in-group was objectively less favorable than the out-group (Study 4).
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High self-esteem inspires positive ingroup evaluation.
“Thus, high self-esteem inspires positive ingroup evaluation (Amiot & Aubin, 2013;Golec de Zavala et al., 2019a;Gramzow & Gaertner, 2005;van Veelen, Otten, & Hansen, 2011).”
From Collective Narcissism: Political Consequences of Investing Self‐Worth in the Ingroup’s Image (2019) · cites this paper as Gramzow & Gaertner, 2005
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- Authors
- Gramzow, R. H., & Gaertner, L.
- Affiliations
- Northeastern University (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- ORCID
- Gaertner, Lowell
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 2005
- Volume
- 88
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 801-815
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2023459471
- Cited by
- 116
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 20.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- self-esteem, in-group favoritism, minimal group paradigm, self-affirmation, right-wing authoritarianism, narcissism, collective self-esteem, intergroup evaluation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Choice Behavior, Female, Group Processes, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Social Perception
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