Self-esteem and loneliness in everyday life: Integrating previously disconnected theoretical approaches
Year: 2021
Type: study-registration
Abstract: Sociometer theory (Leary & Baumeister, 2000) posits that self-esteem is part of a psychological system (i.e., the sociometer) that monitors one's social interactions for cues that indicate decreases in, or at least a threat to, the individual’s relational value (e.g., rejection). The theory also assumes that the sociometer alerts individuals when such cues are detected, thereby motivating people to increase or restore their relational value. Interestingly, Cacioppo et al. (2006) have suggested a very similar theoretical consideration in their evolutionary model of loneliness. Both the sociometer theory and the evolutionary model of loneliness assume that social rejection triggers an emotional warning signal to motivate a particular social behavior. Despite the considerable attention that both sociometer theory and the evolutionary model of loneliness have received in different research communities and despite the content-proximity of both theoretical approaches, they have not yet been integrated. It has not yet been empirically tested whether an increase in loneliness is associated with a drop in self-esteem in daily life and whether this drop in self-esteem is associated with an increased motivation to attend more to social relationships. Using a large-scale daily diary study, we test the theoretical assumptions of the sociometer theory and the evolutionary model of loneliness. Thereby we integrate theoretical approaches of the self-esteem literature with theoretical approaches of the loneliness literature.
Source: Open Science Framework
Authors: Horstmann, Kai T., Krauss, Samantha, Buecker, Susanne, Orth, Ulrich
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7107969868