Self-esteem and the need for social approval

Abstract

This experiment attempted to show that high and low self-esteem persons have a greater need for approval from others than do moderate self-esteem people. Ss from the three self-esteem groups evaluated a fictitious “other S,” either anonymously or believing that the other would see the evaluation and would meet the S after the evaluation. A significant interaction between self-esteem and the experimental manipulation was obtained on personal liking. The hypothesis was supported. Additional explanations are proposed to account for the reactions of the low self-esteem Ss.