Is self-regard a sociometer or a hierometer? Self-esteem tracks status and inclusion, narcissism tracks status

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is self-regard a sociometer or a hierometer? Self-esteem tracks status and inclusion, narcissism tracks status

AU - Mahadevan, Nikhila

AU - Gregg, A.P.

AU - Sedikides, C.

PY - 2019/3/1

Y1 - 2019/3/1

N2 - What adaptive function does self-regard serve? Sociometer theory predicts that it positively tracks social inclusion. A new theory, hierometer theory, predicts that it positively tracks social status. We tested both predictions with respect to two types of self-regard: self-esteem and narcissism. Study 1 (N 940), featuring a cross-sectional design, found that both status and inclusion covaried positively with self-esteem, but that status alone covaried positively with narcissism. These links held independently of gender, age, and the Big Five personality traits. Study 2 (N 627), a preregistered cross-sectional study, obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. Studies 3–4 featuredexperimental designs in which status and inclusion were orthogonally manipulated. Study 3 (N 104) found that both higher status and higher inclusion promoted higher self-esteem, whereas only higher status promoted higher narcissism. Study 4 (N 259) obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. The findings suggest that self-esteem operates as both sociometer and hierometer, positively tracking both status and inclusion, whereas narcissism operates primarily as a hierometer, positively tracking status.

AB - What adaptive function does self-regard serve? Sociometer theory predicts that it positively tracks social inclusion. A new theory, hierometer theory, predicts that it positively tracks social status. We tested both predictions with respect to two types of self-regard: self-esteem and narcissism. Study 1 (N 940), featuring a cross-sectional design, found that both status and inclusion covaried positively with self-esteem, but that status alone covaried positively with narcissism. These links held independently of gender, age, and the Big Five personality traits. Study 2 (N 627), a preregistered cross-sectional study, obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. Studies 3–4 featuredexperimental designs in which status and inclusion were orthogonally manipulated. Study 3 (N 104) found that both higher status and higher inclusion promoted higher self-esteem, whereas only higher status promoted higher narcissism. Study 4 (N 259) obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. The findings suggest that self-esteem operates as both sociometer and hierometer, positively tracking both status and inclusion, whereas narcissism operates primarily as a hierometer, positively tracking status.

U2 - 10.1037/pspp0000189

DO - 10.1037/pspp0000189

M3 - Article

VL - 116

SP - 444

EP - 466

JO - Journal of personality and social psychology

JF - Journal of personality and social psychology

SN - 0022-3514

IS - 3

ER -