Abstract
Eighty-one participants were recruited to test the sensitivity of the mating sociometer to mate-value feedback in the context of ongoing intimate relationships. Experiences of social rejection/acceptance by attractive opposite-sex confederates were manipulated. The effects of this manipulation on self-esteem, relationship satisfaction and commitment, perceptions of dating alternatives, and friendship-dedication were assessed. Social rejection/acceptance by members of the opposite sex altered relationship satisfaction and commitment; this causal link was amplified by changes in state self-esteem; and these effects were specific to intimate relationships and did not generalize to friendship-dedication. This research supports a domain-specific conceptualization of sociometer theory, extending the theory in important directions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 126-141 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Social Psychology |
| Volume | 154 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 4 2014 |
Keywords
- friendship dedication
- relationship commitment
- relationship satisfaction
- romantic rejection
- self-esteem
- sociometer theory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
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