Abstract
Two studies (Ns = 80 and 108) tested hypotheses derived from Kirkpatrick and Ellis's (2001) extension and application of sociometer theory to mating aspirations. Experiences of social rejection-acceptance by attractive opposite-sex confederates were experimentally manipulated, and the impact of these manipulations on self-esteem, mating aspirations, and friendship aspirations was assessed. Results indicated that social rejection-acceptance by members of the opposite sex altered mating aspirations; that the causal link between social rejection-acceptance and mating aspirations was mediated by changes in state self-esteem; and that the impact of social rejection-acceptance by members of opposite sex was specific to mating aspirations and did not generalize to levels of aspiration in approaching potential same-sex friendships. This research supports a conceptualization of a domain-specific mating sociometer, which functions to calibrate mating aspirations in response to experiences of romantic rejection and acceptance.
Highlights
Two studies (Ns = 80 and 108) tested hypotheses derived from Kirkpatrick and Ellis’ (2001) extension and application of sociometer theory to mating aspirations
A crucial adaptive problem faced by our ancestors, they maintain, was to be accepted by others as part of "the group," as rejection would pose a significant threat to survival and loss of the many well-documented benefits of group living
Summary The main goal of Study 1 was to test the hypothesis that experiences of social acceptance-rejection influence aspiration levels in selecting mates, and that this effect is mediated by variation in state self-esteem
Summary
Consistent with many other theorists such as Cooley (1902) and Rosenberg (1979), they suggest that self-esteem reflects in a large part one's perceptions of how others feel about them They argue that the function of the sociometer is to monitor the degree of one's level of social inclusion or acceptance versus social exclusion or rejection. Kirkpatrick and Ellis (2001) have hypothesized that an important function of self-esteem is to guide individuals to approach social relationships that are of relatively high quality yet defensible given one's own social value Their model posits that experiences of social acceptance and rejection feed into domain-specific sociometers, causing alterations in state self-esteem in the relevant social domain, which in turn affect aspiration levels in approaching new relationships in that domain
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