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Drawing on sociometer theory, we argue that when 360 degree feedback is used in a work setting, being ostracized by coworkers has a stronger negative influence on employeesˈ state self-esteem, which promotes interpersonal deviance and demotivates helping directed toward coworkers, as compared to settings in which 360 feedback is not used. We tested our hypotheses using data collected from North American employees (Study 1) and a two-wave survey of employees in China (Study 2). Results from both studies support the hypothesized interaction between workplace ostracism and 360 degree feedback on interpersonal deviance and helping behavior. Results from Study 2 further show that lower state self-esteem accounts for the stronger negative association of ostracism with helping behavior among employees who are exposed to 360 degree feedback. Ostracism is not related to subsequent state self-esteem or behavior when 360 degree feedback is absent. We discuss the implications for theory and research concerning employee exclusion.

Self-esteem is shaped by the appraisals we receive from others. Here, we characterize neural and computational mechanisms underlying this form of social influence. We introduce a computational model that captures fluctuations in self-esteem engendered by prediction errors that quantify the difference between expected and received social feedback. Using functional MRI, we show these social prediction errors correlate with activity in ventral striatum/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, while updates in self-esteem resulting from these errors co-varied with activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). We linked computational parameters to psychiatric symptoms using canonical correlation analysis to identify an ‘interpersonal vulnerability’ dimension. Vulnerability modulated the expression of prediction error responses in anterior insula and insula-vmPFC connectivity during self-esteem updates. Our findings indicate that updating of self-evaluative beliefs relies on learning mechanisms akin to those used in learning about others. Enhanced insula-vmPFC connectivity during updating of those beliefs may represent a marker for psychiatric vulnerability. Self-esteem – our evaluation of our own worth – is shaped by what other people think of us. It increases when others appreciate and value us, and decreases when we are rejected and start to question our own worth. Maintaining a positive sense of self is crucial for mental health and well-being. People with low self-esteem are more likely to develop psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders and depression. Despite its importance for mental health, it was not known how the brain accumulates social feedback to determine our self-esteem. To address this question, Will et al. developed a computational model that precisely predicts how self-esteem changes from moment to moment as people learn what others think of them. Activity in the brain was measured while young adults received approving or disapproving feedback from peers who had seemingly viewed their online character profile. After every second or third peer judgment, participants reported their current level of self-esteem. Will et al. found that self-esteem depended both on whether other people liked the participants and on whether they were liked or disliked more than expected. Self-esteem decreased the most when participants received negative feedback from someone they expected to receive positive feedback from. The model then identified signals in specific parts of the brain that explain why self-esteem goes up and down according to the feedback received. Moment-to-moment changes in self-esteem correlated with activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is a brain region important for valuation. Will et al. combined the model with responses to questionnaires that assessed psychiatric symptoms, and showed that vulnerable individuals had elevated responses in a part of the brain called the anterior insula. In vulnerable individuals, activity in this region of the brain was strongly coupled to activity in the part of the prefrontal cortex that explained changes in self-esteem. A better understanding of the brain mechanisms that mediate a decline or improvement in self-esteem may help to find more effective treatments for a range of mental health problems.

Abstract Self-esteem, the evaluation of one’s own worth or value, is a critical aspect of psychological well-being and mental health. In this paper, we propose an active inference account of self-esteem, casting it as a sociometer or an inferential capacity to interpret one’s standing within a social group. This approach allows us to explore the interaction between an individual’s self-perception and the expectations of their social environment.When there is a mismatch between these perceptions and expectations, the individual needs to adjust their actions or update their self-perception to better align with their current experiences. We also consider this hypothesis in relation with recent research on affective inference, suggesting that self-esteem enables the individual to track and respond to this discrepancy through affective states such as anxiety or positive affect. By acting as an inferential sociometer, self-esteem allows individuals to navigate and adapt to their social environment, ultimately impacting their psychological well-being and mental health.

Purpose This study aims to assess a moderated-mediation model to account for the relationship between customer mistreatment and frontline hotel employees’ customer-focused voice, where their organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) served as a mediator and their felt trust (reliance and disclosure) by supervisors served as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through paper-based questionnaires in a cross-sectional survey, consisting of 319 valid supervisor-employee-paired responses from 33 international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Regression analyses were used for hypothesis testing. Findings OBSE mediates the negative effect of customer mistreatment on customer-focused voice. Employee felt reliance intensifies the negative impact of customer mistreatment on OBSE, and this interaction effect, in turn, reduces customer-focused voice through OBSE. The employee felt disclosure marginally significantly buffers the effect of customer mistreatment on OBSE. Practical implications Given the adverse effect of customer mistreatment on customer-focused voice through OBSE, hotels should strengthen employees’ service mindset and value their suggestions. The double-edged effects of felt trust suggest that managers should form a trusting relationship with their subordinates and reassure them that isolated incidents of customer mistreatment will not jeopardize their reputation. Originality/value This study integrated sociometer and self-consistency theories to examine OBSE as a psychological mechanism to explain the mistreatment-voice process. Besides assessing felt trust’s two-dimensional effects, this research is possibly the first attempt to examine felt trust as an enabling force or a threat to OBSE in the context of customer mistreatment.

Cyberbullying victimization is a pervasive global problem among youths, with those in developing countries, particularly Nigeria, experiencing disproportionate exposure and vulnerability. Research has consistently demonstrated that cyberbullying victimization is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, especially depression. However, although the detrimental effects of cyberbullying victimization on youth depression have been well documented, there is limited understanding of the psychological factors that may moderate this relationship. Guided by sociometer theory, the present study examined self-esteem as a potential moderator of the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression among Nigerian youths. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from 500 participants (220 males and 280 females) drawn from churches, secondary schools, and higher education institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria. Participants completed validated self-report measures. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the study hypotheses. The results revealed a significant positive association between cyberbullying victimization and depression. Self-esteem was negatively associated with depression and significantly moderated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression. These findings suggest that self-esteem functions as a protective factor, buffering the adverse effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression. The results highlight the importance of developing and enforcing anti-cyberbullying policies, as well as integrating self-esteem enhancement interventions into mental health programmes aimed at mitigating the psychosocial consequences of cyberbullying victimization in Nigeria.

Abstract Given the evolutionary importance of social ties for survival, humans are thought to have evolved psychobiological mechanisms to monitor and safeguard the status of their social bonds. At the psychological level, self-esteem is proposed to function as a gauge—‘sociometer’—reflecting one’s social belongingness status. At the biological level, endogenous opioids appear to be an important substrate for the hedonic signalling needed to regulate social behaviour. We investigated whether endogenous opioids may serve as the biological correlate of the sociometer. We administered 50 mg naltrexone (an opioid receptor antagonist) and placebo in a counterbalanced order to 26 male and female participants on two occasions ∼1 week apart. Participants reported lower levels of self-esteem—particularly self-liking—on the naltrexone (vs placebo) day. We also explored a potential behavioural consequence of naltrexone administration: attentional bias to accepting (smiling) faces—an early-stage perceptual process thought to maximize opportunities to restore social connection. Participants exhibited heightened attentional bias towards accepting faces on the naltrexone (vs placebo) day, which we interpret as an indicator of heightened social need under opioid receptor blockade. We discuss implications of these findings for understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of sociality as well as the relationship between adverse social conditions, low self-esteem and psychopathology.

Existing research has predominantly framed defensive silence as an avoidance response to interpersonal mistreatments. Moving beyond this view, this study theorizes defensive silence as a proactive strategy for managing interpersonal relationships through the lens of sociometer theory. We posit that workplace ostracism will reduce employees’ organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), which in turn increases their subsequent defensive silence to avert further damage to relationships. In addition, we also expect a moderating role of the sense of power in mitigating the negative impact of workplace ostracism on OBSE. Based on the multi-wave, multi-source data of 345 employees and their 82 immediate supervisors, we tested all the hypotheses. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that OBSE mediated the indirect effect of workplace ostracism on defensive silence, and also supported the moderation role of sense of power. Our theoretical model provides a novel perspective that deepens the understanding of defensive silence and suggests implications for managerial practices.

Purpose>This study aims to reveal the positive side of poor voice quality. Grounding on sociometer theory, this study proposes a model to explore how poor voice quality affects employee's motivation to make high-quality voice via managerial non-endorsement and employee's self-perception of poor voice quality.Design/methodology/approach>The sample consisted of 247 employees and immediate supervisors of employees in China. To minimize potential common method biases and reduce participants' fatigue, a three-wave method for the data collection with each wave separated by one month was executed. Path analysis and bootstrapping approach were adopted to verify the hypotheses.Findings>The results illustrated that employee's poor voice quality was able to promote employee's motivation to make high-quality voice via managerial non-endorsement and employee's self-perception of poor voice quality.Originality/value>First, this study extends our knowledge of the consequences of employee voice. Second, this study further contributes to the literature on voice quality by emphasizing the positive effects of poor voice quality. Third, this study enriches the sociometer theory by the explication of chain mediation as a key mechanism through which poor voice quality affects employee's motivation to make high-quality voice.

The relationship between self-esteem and emotional reactions to receiving comfort has been extensively studied in social and personality psychology, but the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this study investigated the association between emotional reactions to receiving comfort from friends and self-esteem by examining whether an instability in self-esteem mediates the association between self-esteem levels and comfort effectiveness. Japanese university students ( N  = 115) read a vignette involving comfort and completed a questionnaire evaluating the emotions they felt when a friend offered comfort. They also completed a daily measure of state self-esteem for 7 days, the perceived self-Esteem instability measure (P-SEI), and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES). Results were derived using multiple regression analysis. The interaction between P-SEI and RSES predicted gratitude when gender, friendship intimacy, seriousness, and controllability of the scenario were controlled for. The interaction between state self-esteem and instability was not significant. People with stable low self-esteem felt less grateful when comforted than those with unstable self-esteem, but they showed high gratitude and low hostility when comforted by a close friend. Although participants with stable low self-esteem were less impacted by comforted, the comfort provided by close friends induced positive emotions. This study offers a more comprehensive understanding of the correlations between self-esteem and the effectiveness of comfort by concurrently employing different self-esteem measurement tools and revealing the importance of the level and stability of self-esteem.

Sociometer theory proposes that self-esteem is an adaptation which evolved to monitor and regulate interpersonal relationships. It is therefore sensitive to self-assessments in domains relevant to relational desirability. Positive relationships between self-perceived physical attractiveness and self-esteem found in previous studies may reflect the functioning of a mating sociometer, designed to monitor individuals' desirability as romantic or sexual partners. We thus predicted that these relationships should be mediated by self-perceptions of romantic desirability, or more specifically, individuals' confidence in their abilities to successfully establish and maintain romantic relationships. Two hundred and eighty seven young adults (98 male) completed an online measure of self-perceived attractiveness, together with measures of self-confidence in appearance and romantic relationships, body-esteem and global self-esteem. Linear regression analyses indicated that self-perceived attractiveness, self-confidence in appearance and body-esteem all significantly predicted self-esteem, and that in each case, the relationship was mediated by romantic self-confidence. Self-perceived attractiveness predicted self-esteem significantly more strongly in females than in males. We discuss these results in relation to sociometer and parental investment theories, and explore limitations and future directions.