Sociometer Theory Research Articles

Harsh Parenting Reduces Self-Esteem of Adolescents via the Mediation of Interpersonal Sensitivity: The Modulating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of self-esteem, but for many adolescents, self-esteem is compromised by harsh parenting disciplines which are still heavily used. Research into the mechanisms underlying adolescent self-esteem and the strategies that boost self-esteem thus has become very important. Based on the sociometric theory of self-esteem and the attachment theory, the current study explores the role of interpersonal sensitivity and dispositional mindfulness in the effect of harsh parenting on adolescents’ self-esteem. Questionnaire survey on 1320 Chinese adolescents showed that the detrimental effect of harsh parenting could be mediated by interpersonal sensitivity, and this mediation effect was moderated by dispositional mindfulness, participants with higher dispositional mindfulness showed stronger mediation effect than those with lower dispositional mindfulness. Our findings highlight the impact of harsh parenting and the role of interpersonal sensitivity in shaping adolescents’ self-esteem, and suggest the feasibility of mindful intervention programs that take interpersonal sensitivity into account when building the self-worth of adolescents.

Longitudinal and bidirectional relationships between parental rejection, peer attachment, and adolescent depression

This study investigated the longitudinal and bidirectional relationships between parental rejection, peer attachment, and adolescent depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 4,367 Chinese adolescents aged 10 to 18 (mean age at Time 1 = 13.92; 50.9 % girls) participated in the survey at two time points with a six-month interval. Through a cross-lagged analysis, it was observed that maternal rejection was positively correlated with adolescent depression, while peer attachment was negatively correlated with adolescent depression over time. In turn, adolescent depression was found to predict an increase in paternal/maternal rejection and a decrease in peer attachment over time. Maternal rejection was also associated with a decrease in adolescents’ peer attachment, whereas peer attachment was linked to reduced maternal and paternal rejection over time. Additionally, paternal and maternal rejection were interconnected across time. The outcomes underscore the distinct significance of mother-child, father-child and peer acceptance/rejection in relation to adolescent depression. They suggest that unique relational values stemming from various relationships play specific roles and are interrelated. The findings align with the sociometer theory and the continuum/cognitive model of attachment, furthering their application within the Chinese cultural context.

Implicit self-esteem and self-esteem discrepancy predict sensitivity to perceive dynamic facial expressions

The current study examined the relationship between Explicit Self-Esteem (ESE), Implicit Self-Esteem (ISE), and the size of discrepancy between them (SEDS) in relation to sensitivity to emotional facial cues signifying acceptance (happy facial expressions), rejection (angry and disgusted facial expressions), and fear. The results reveal a significant association between ISE and sensitivity to negative emotions, with the SEDS significantly predicting rejection cue sensitivity. Moreover, higher scores in psychological wellbeing were observed in individuals with higher ESE, higher ISE, and smaller ESE-ISE discrepancies. These findings not only support the sociometer theory, but also highlight the complex relationship between self-esteem dimensions, emotional sensitivity, and psychological wellbeing, highlighting the need for a more integrative approach in self-esteem research.

Why and when newcomer career consultation behaviour attracts career mentoring from supervisors: A sociometer explanation of supervisors' perspective

AbstractDrawing from the perspective of sociometer theory, we posit that the career consultation behaviour of newcomers can bolster supervisors' organization‐based self‐esteem (OBSE), thereby increasing their access to career mentoring from supervisors. Additionally, we suggest that the impact of newcomers' career consultation behaviour on supervisors' OBSE will be more pronounced among individuals with a higher power distance orientation. A time‐lagged, four‐phase data collection involving 238 newcomer–supervisor dyads supported this moderated mediation effect. The results indicate that newcomers' career consultation behaviour contributes to supervisors' OBSE, particularly for those with higher power distance orientations compared to their counterparts with lower power distance orientations. Subsequently, this is positively associated with supervisors' career mentoring as reported by newcomers. The implications of this study are discussed in the context of existing literature on newcomer socialization and mentoring.

A moderated mediation model of tourist cultural worldviews, perceived social relations, self-esteem, and prosocial behaviors - analyzing competing models

Despite a great deal of recent scholarly attention devoted to prosocial behaviors in tourism, its central antecedents from a socio-psychological and cultural perspective remain unknown. Using key socio-cultural constructs (cultural worldviews, perceived social relations, and self-esteem), this research examines a baseline model and compares it with a competing model to highlight alternative theoretical possibilities. We employ the face negotiation theory, the theory of reciprocal altruism, the sociometer theory, and the terror management theory to disentangle these relationships highlighting self-esteem’s significant role. The results are based on a survey of 403 tourists in a popular tourist destination in Asia, Macau. In the better-fitted model, findings demonstrate that while cultural worldviews and perceived social relations significantly predict prosocial behaviors, self-esteem moderates the extent to which both cultural worldviews and perceived social relations would trigger prosocial behaviors. These findings contribute valuable theoretical, methodological, and practical insights into the relationships among prosocial behavior and its socio-cultural antecedents.

Impact of leader aggressive humor on employee extra-role behaviors: opposite moderating effects of team identification and professional identification

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of leader aggressive humor on employee extra-role behaviors of proactivity and creativity by probing feeling ostracized as a mediator and team identification and professional identification as boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approachA survey sample of 347 employees was collected from three technology companies in Sichuan and Guizhou, China. Hierarchical regression analysis and PROCESS macro in SPSS were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that leader aggressive humor is negatively related to employee extra-role behaviors. Feeling ostracized is an important mechanism linking leader aggressive humor and employee extra-role behaviors and team identification and professional identification moderate the relationship.Practical implicationsOrganizations should make rules to prevent leaders from using aggressive humorous behaviors and encourage coworkers to show more affiliative funny behaviors during breaks to reduce employees' sense of ostracism.Originality/valueBuilding on sociometer theory, this research demonstrates the opposite moderating effects of team identification and professional identification in the effects of leader aggressive humor on feeling ostracized and consequently employee extra-role behaviors.

On merchandise return policy, entrepreneurial internet retail, and customer reviews – Insights from an observational study

AbstractThe rapid growth of Internet retail platforms (e.g., Shopify and Wix) and marketplaces (e.g., Amazon, eBay, and Etsy) has given rise to a new wave of entrepreneurship. These are platform entrepreneurs—individuals who establish micro‐retail businesses on third‐party platforms. While there are now millions of such entrepreneurs worldwide, there has been limited scholarly investigation regarding the role of Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) policies that they can adapt to benefit their small businesses. Because the success of such businesses is intricately driven by the reviews they receive, we deem it essential to investigate how such reviews may be related to their LSCM policies. We conduct an observational field study at one such small platform seller. By investigating items sold under varying merchandise return policies (MRPs), we seek to isolate the relationship between MRP, and the likelihood, positivity, and depth of the reviews left by shoppers. Based on the concept of contractuality, rooted in Sociometer Theory, our results reveal that a more lenient MRP may serve as a perk that may positively impact the customer's review writing. However, the relationship is not monotonic. Instead, there is evidence that the effect of extended MRP leniency on reviews tapers off beyond a certain point.

Partner psychological abuse: Can you leave home at work?

AbstractUtilizing sociometer theory, we examine the impact of partner psychological abuse at home on an individual's self‐esteem and the resulting effects on job performance in the work domain. Further, we propose that the respondent's ability to psychologically detach from family will buffer those effects. Using a sample of dual‐career married couples, we use the actor–partner interdependence model to test this for both individuals in the couple (176 men and 176 women) and find that psychological abuse by one's partner at home diminishes the target's self‐esteem and contributes to reduced job performance and that psychological detachment from family moderated the effect of psychological abuse on self‐esteem for men only, such that men are able to detach and buffer the effects of abuse on their job performance. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Feeling low and lonely: Personality traits, love styles, and social rejection

To better understand how personality traits related to interpersonal functioning, we considered (N = 308) the possibility that personality leads to certain love styles which then lead to social rejection in the forms of low self-esteem and high loneliness. We focused here on the Five Factor model derived from the DSM (i.e., psychoticism, antagonism, disinhibited, negative affect, and detachment) to augment work on the traditional Big Five. All measured personality traits were connected to ludus, storge, pragma, and mania love styles. Moreover, each trait was associated with lower levels of self-esteem but higher levels of loneliness. We showed that these personality traits may be associated with problematic love styles which in turn lead to more social rejection. We interpret out results using sociometer theory.

Patterns of Communication in the Music Community in Relationships

This music student activity unit community of Semarang or known as �Kumis�, has now grown as an organization with positive goals that interest some people in joining it. This study aims to determine how communication patterns of an organization in maintaining a relationship. This study was directed to the communication patterns of the Semarang �Kumis� community. This study made use of qualitative descriptive method. The technique of collecting data was conducted through participant observation supported by in-depth interviews and documentation. The subjects in this study were thirteen informants. The paradigm used in this study was the constructivist one with the sociometric theory proposed by Jacob Moreno Levy and supporting theories, such as the West Turner Groupthink theory and Group Cohesiveness as main theories. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that in maintaining relationship, the communication patterns used by the Semarang Kumis community are categorized as horizontal or literal communication patterns. The relationship maintained is akind of relationship which forms solidarity among its members through the use of information and communication technology, such as Whatsapp social media platform. Also, frequent meetings or face-to-face gatherings among members allow them to maintain open communication as to minimize communication misunderstandings and cohesiveness in the Semarang Kumis community which keep cooperation and solidarity well. The number of respondents, who was only 13 informants, is certainly not able to describe the real situation since the object of this study only focused on communication patterns. Therefore, it is expected that the results of the study can be used as an example or reference in gaining information for further studies in the same field with different research object, regarding with a community�s communication patterns in maintaining relationship.

Social isolation and social anxiety as drivers of generation Z's willingness to share personal information on social media

AbstractGeneration Z's (gen z) sharing of personal information on social media is a growing phenomenon with significant ramifications. Existing research, however, focuses on examining the role of social and/or psychological factors and fails to consider how and when social, psychological, and organizational factors affect gen z's willingness to share personal information on social media. To fill this gap, we propose a conceptual model based on the tenets of sociometer theory, to understand the dynamics of gen z's willingness to share personal information while considering its process and boundary conditions. Using a sequential multi‐study design, we conducted an experiment followed by a survey to test our hypotheses using data collected from gen z in India. Our findings show that when gen z feels socially isolated/anxious, they are more likely to share personal information on social media. The effect of social isolation on sharing of personal information increases when gen z fear that they are missing out on the rewarding experiences others are having, are engaged in repetitive negative thoughts and perceive their firm's privacy policy as transparent and ethical. Our findings provide a better understanding of why, how, and when gen z's are willing to share personal information on social media. We extend existing limited research on the psychological aspects of digital natives' interaction with modern technologies. Our results equip social media marketing and brand managers with the knowledge they need to increase gen z's willingness to share personal information.

Self-esteem Stability and Change at Home versus at Work: An Application of the Latent State-Trait Model for the Combination of Random and Fixed Situations (LST-RF)

ABSTRACT Recent research has shown that even stable psychological constructs, like self-esteem, are not static entities. Accordingly, research on state-trait decomposition is growing, but few studies have been conducted on investigating potential differences across situations. In this contribution, we used a Latent State-Trait model for the combination of Random and Fixed situations (LST-RF) to investigate self-esteem state-trait decomposition at home versus at work, in order to examine the impact of the organizational environment on some characteristics of self-esteem stability and change. Workers from various sectors (N = 161) completed a battery at T0 (age, gender, and organizational membership) and then responded to a questionnaire investigating their degree of global self-esteem and self-concept clarity across two days in 8 random situations that were nested within 2 fixed situations (home-work). Results showed that, contrary to our hypothesis, there were no substantial differences in self-esteem state-trait decomposition at home versus at work, while there was a significant mean-level decline of self-esteem when at work (consistent with the Conservation of Resources Theory) which was positively counteracted by organizational membership (according to the Sociometer Theory). In conclusion, we demonstrated that considering fixed situations may advance our knowledge on self-esteem state-trait decomposition.

Opinion-leading media as indicators of a democracy at risk: The press and the rise of National Socialism between 1927 and 1932

The rise of National Socialism in the late 1920s and 1930s happened within democratic societies with well-developed media systems. This gives rise to whether an increasingly right-wing press climate aided the emergence of National Socialism. Based on a comparative analysis of post-election reporting in German and Austrian newspapers, this paper argues that changes in the spectrum of opinion-leading media and in the relations both between them and with the opinion-following media can serve as indicators of a democracy at risk. Utilizing sociometric theory, it is hypothesized that in times of severe democratic crisis, the gap between elite-dominated, opinion-leading media and mass newspapers widens; reciprocal orientation among the opinion-leading media is lessened; and, finally, the composition of this group changes in favour of radical political forces. There is empirical evidence for all assumptions, reflecting a growing significance of extreme right-wing positions in the political information environment.

The magic in the (extra)ordinary: Intensive validation to recalibrate the life‐worlds of adolescents exposed to abuse

AbstractThis qualitative case study aimed to explore environmental circumstances and interactional processes that appeared to be relevant for the dynamics of resilience in adolescents exposed to child abuse. Fieldwork at a learning and coping centre for children and their families was combined with semi‐structured interviews with adolescent participants aged 12 to 18 years. A critical realist approach was used to unpack what has been called the ‘ordinary magic’ of resilience. We found that intensively validating qualities of both the environment and relationships seemed to be driving components for resilience. Borrowing ideas from the sociometer theory, we propose that particularly the consistent intensiveness may offer a recalibration of the adolescents' immediate life‐worlds, in terms of how they perceive the people they meet and the environments they step into. In keeping with the transactional‐ecological model of resilience, we suggest that such a recalibration leads to altered social agency that becomes visible through their immediate social participation.

More efforts after feeling rejected: the effects of poor voice quality on employee's motivation to make high-quality voice

PurposeThis study aims to reveal the positive side of poor voice quality. Grounding on sociometer theory, this study proposes a model to explore how poor voice quality affects employee's motivation to make high-quality voice via managerial non-endorsement and employee's self-perception of poor voice quality.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 247 employees and immediate supervisors of employees in China. To minimize potential common method biases and reduce participants' fatigue, a three-wave method for the data collection with each wave separated by one month was executed. Path analysis and bootstrapping approach were adopted to verify the hypotheses.FindingsThe results illustrated that employee's poor voice quality was able to promote employee's motivation to make high-quality voice via managerial non-endorsement and employee's self-perception of poor voice quality.Originality/valueFirst, this study extends our knowledge of the consequences of employee voice. Second, this study further contributes to the literature on voice quality by emphasizing the positive effects of poor voice quality. Third, this study enriches the sociometer theory by the explication of chain mediation as a key mechanism through which poor voice quality affects employee's motivation to make high-quality voice.

Shame-Proneness Uniquely Predicts Social Evaluative Symptoms: Considering the Sociometer Theory of Shame

Introduction: Whereas the act-person model of shame emphasizes negative self-appraisals, the sociometer theory roots shame in real or imagined social evaluation. If so, shame might increase vulnerability to psychosocial stressors and manifest in social anxiety specifically. We investigated how shame-proneness predicted concurrent symptoms and responses to daily interpersonal stressors. Method: A total of 159 participants (including those meeting anxiety/depression criteria in clinical interviews; n = 58) completed baseline measures of shame- and guilt-proneness, trait negative affect (NA), and social anxiety, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, followed by stressor diaries for 5 weeks (1,923 diaries). Results: Even with NA and guilt-proneness controlled, shame-proneness uniquely predicted concurrent social anxiety and prospectively predicted experiencing social evaluation. Unique links to depression and nonspecific anxiety and worry were less consistent. Discussion: Specificity in shame-social evaluation links supported sociometer theory, Results have implications both for shame theory and clinical practice with shame-prone individuals.

Digging deeper into the relationship between self-esteem and mate value

Self-esteem is correlated with both gender (women reporting lower scores on average) and mate value. Both self-esteem and mate value, however, are often measured with multidimensional scales, and the documented relationship between these overall constructs has not been studied in terms of subcomponents. Using multidimensional measures of both self-esteem and mate value, the current study (n = 192) found expected sex difference in self-esteem and a correlation with mate value. These correlations extended pervasively into subscales, with a few notable exceptions, and the strongest relationships were with the overall scale scores. These results are consistent with sociometer theory and the idea that self-perceived mate value is a component of overall self-concept and esteem. Generally stronger correlations between self-esteem and mate value were found for men, relative to women, and further research is needed to assess the generalizability of these findings across more diverse samples.

The Dark Side of a Coworker Receiving Help

The majority of research on helping behavior has focused on the consequences for the helpers and receivers of this behavior, ignoring its consequences on third-party observers (i.e., the person who witnesses the helping event). We shift this predominant focus by investigating how a coworker receiving help impacts third-party observers. By integrating a cognitive-affective processing system framework and sociometer theory, we examined the negative cognitive and affective reactions to a coworker receiving help. Results from an experience sampling study showed that a coworker receiving prompts third-party observers to engage in withdrawal behaviors through their diminished self-esteem (cognitive response) and enhanced anxiety (affective response). Additionally, our results showed that the negative consequences of a coworker receiving help could be mitigated for employees with high (vs. low) team identification. This paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Challenge athletes to improve their self-worth: A serial mediation model linking dual controlling behaviors to sport performance

Coaches can shape athletes’ self-worth through controlling behaviors, such as tight control and stressful challenge. However, previous research has not paid attention to the effects of different controlling behaviors of coaches on athletes’ self-worth, which is considered an important motive for athletes to achieve high performance. Accordingly, the dual controlling model of leadership behaviors is adopted to clarify the effects of controlling behaviors. Also, sociometer theory is adopted to investigate the mechanism by which controlling behaviors influence athletes’ self-worth and their sport performance. Data were collected from 16 male college basketball teams in Taiwan, from a total of 155 participants. Results show that different controlling behaviors have opposite effects on sport performance, and these effects are mediated serially by coach–athlete relationship quality (i.e., leader–member exchange) and self-worth (i.e., team-based self-esteem). This study contributes to the literature of coaching by examining and identifying the opposite effects and the black box of dual controlling behaviors on athletes’ performance.

The sociometer theory at work: Exploring the organizational interpersonal roots of self‐esteem

AbstractThe sociometer theory of self‐esteem (STS) argues that one's self‐esteem is affected by one's perception of the quality of one's relationships with significant others. Although the STS has been widely used in individual differences research there have been few investigations of its validity and value in organizational settings. Here we provide a systematic review of articles published in organizational journals that took STS as their main theoretical framework (N = 8). We then drew on STS principles in an investigation of the validity of a model in which organizational socialization longitudinally mediates the link between workers' quality of relationships with colleagues and their levels of self‐esteem. A complete cohort of 320 workers (Mage = 23.02, SDage = 2.23) over a three‐year period completed a battery of questionnaires once a year for three consecutive years. Structural equation analyses corroborated our hypotheses. This contribution highlights the utility and validity of the STS in organizational contexts and should encourage researchers and practitioners to pay more attention to workers' perception of their interpersonal environment at work (in particular during the socialization and adjustment process to a new workplace) given that it may exert a significant impact on sense of personal self‐worth.