Self-esteem as an interpersonal monitor: The sociometer hypothesis.

1995/03/01 by Mark R. Leary, Ellen S. Tambor, Ellen Tambor +2 · 2,417 citations
Psychology · #Attachment and Relationship Dynamics #Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health #Interpersonal attraction #Interpersonal communication #Interpersonal interaction #Interpersonal relationship #Perception #Psychology #Self-esteem #Social perception #Social psychology

paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.68.3.518

published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 68(3), 518-530 (American Psychological Association)

openalex publication_date 1995/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Five studies tested hypotheses derived from the sociometer model of self-esteem according to which the self-esteem system monitors others' reactions and alerts the individual to the possibility of social exclusion. Study 1 showed that the effects of events on participants' state self-esteem parallel

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