Self-esteem is partially formed through social evaluations. After receiving approval from others, we feel better about ourselves. Attachment styles, the ways individuals relate to other people,...Show moreSelf-esteem is partially formed through social evaluations. After receiving approval from others, we feel better about ourselves. Attachment styles, the ways individuals relate to other people, influence both views of the self and how feedback from others is perceived. To understand how attachment styles impact on self-esteem responses to social feedback, the present study explored how approval and disapproval feedback affect self-esteem levels in young adults with different attachment styles. A sample (n = 48, 37 women, M age = 21.5) consisting of young adults performed a social evaluation task in which they predicted whether others would like them based on some information about their general tendency to like other people. Subsequently, participants received feedback about whether these people like them or not and then reported on their self-esteem repeatedly. Consistent with prior research, disapproval feedback lowered self-esteem, especially when it was unexpected. These self-esteem responses were not modulated by attachment styles. Securely attached individuals reported higher self-esteem and expected to be liked more often. Fearful-avoidant individuals reported lower self-esteem and less predictions to be liked. Anxious-preoccupied individuals reported less predictions to be liked. Together, these results show that attachment styles impact views of the self and others, but do not modulate self-esteem fluctuations in response to social feedback from strangers. The findings can be further implemented to understand how attachment styles impact self-esteem and how the nature of social feedback influences attachment system activation and self-esteem responses.Show less
How people generally evaluate their self-worth (i.e., their trait self-esteem) determines the extent to which they use social feedback to update their momentary self-esteem. However, it remains...Show moreHow people generally evaluate their self-worth (i.e., their trait self-esteem) determines the extent to which they use social feedback to update their momentary self-esteem. However, it remains unclear if the lack of positive expectations, typical of those with low trait self-esteem, renders them more prone to momentary changes of self-esteem. This study investigated how inter-individual differences in trait self-esteem and expectedness of social feedback moderated the impact of social approval and disapproval (i.e., valence of feedback) on self-esteem updates. Participants (N = 78) performed a social evaluation task, where they repeatedly predicted whether they expected to be approved of or not, and subsequently reported on their level of selfesteem after receiving the social feedback. Results showed that self-esteem updated depending on the valence of feedback, but expectations were only relevant if the person was exposed to social disapproval. To be precise, in both high and low trait self-esteem participants, self-esteem decreased the most when they expected to receive approval but were given disapproval instead. Low trait self-esteem was associated with lower state self-esteem throughout the task, and compared to high, low self-esteem participants had a more unstable self-esteem when faced with repeated social evaluations. However, the extent to which state self-esteem increased following approval and decreased with disapproval was no different from people with high trait selfesteem. These findings suggest that despite their vulnerabilities to social feedback, low selfesteem individuals benefit from social approval and realistic expectations as much as people with higher trait self-esteem. Knowledge of these effects can aid in the creation of interventions to promote a healthy development of self-esteem.Show less
