Does self-threat promote social connection? The role of self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth.
Six studies examined the social motivations of people with high self-esteem (HSE) and low self-esteem (LSE) following a threat to a domain of contingent self-worth. Whether people desired social contact following self-threat depended on an interaction between an individual's trait self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth. HSE participants who strongly based self-worth on appearance sought to connect with close others following a threat to their physical attractiveness. LSE participants who staked self-worth on appearance wanted to avoid social contact and, instead, preferred a less interpersonally risky way of coping with self-threat (wanting to enhance their physical attractiveness). Implications for theories of self-esteem, motivation, and interpersonal processes are discussed.
Park
Lora E
LE
Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. lorapark@buffalo.edu
Maner
Jon K
JK
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012928:Social Desirability; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology