The sociometer, self-esteem and the regulation of interpersonal behavior (Chapter 18 in the Handbook of Self-Regulation) - Leary, Guadagno (2011) - Article

What is central to Chapter 18?

The central themes of this chapter are the sociometer, self-respect and the regulation of interpersonal behavior

What do most discussions focus on when it comes to self-regulation?

Most are focused on the generic psychological processes. These enable people to control thoughts, emotions and behavior. Generic psychological processes are not specifically involved in the action being regulated. Cybernetic models of self-control, such as TOTE, can be applied to many domains and are involved in the same basic processes. This is regardless of the nature of the self-examination.

What is central to Chapter 18?

The central themes of this chapter are the sociometer, self-respect and the regulation of interpersonal behavior

What do most discussions focus on when it comes to self-regulation?

Most are focused on the generic psychological processes. These enable people to control thoughts, emotions and behavior. Generic psychological processes are not specifically involved in the action being regulated. Cybernetic models of self-control, such as TOTE, can be applied to many domains and are involved in the same basic processes. This is regardless of the nature of the self-examination.

What is the sociometer?

People have mechanisms that are dedicated to certain functions. They work on only one type of regulatory problem. The sociometer is such a mechanism that may be involved in controlling interpersonal behavior.

What is the fundamental condition for a person's interpersonal life?

For an interpersonal life, someone needs to be visited at least by other people and to avoid rejection in general. Acceptance of the individual by others plays a role in almost all social services. For example, friendships and social support. People have a strong need for acceptance because it offers adaptive benefits.

What are the characteristics of a regulatory system?

In general we recognize three characteristics. First, they follow the external environment for indications that radiate favorable or negative signals. In addition, they evoke positive or negative feelings when such a signal is detected. The third characteristic is that it fends off behaviors that help the individual to respond to opportunities or threats.

What is the sociometer theory about?

In sociometer theory it is suggested that self-relevant feelings are part of the regulation system. This means that the self-esteem is determined externally. According to this theory, when someone experiences acceptance or rejection, he usually feels good or bad about himself.

What does sociometer theory say about the concept of self-esteem?

In all conceptualizations about self-esteem that exist, it is often not explained precisely what self-esteem does or why it might be important. Few attempts have been made to clarify which functions the self-esteem has for people. According to sociometer theory, people do not need self-esteem at all. They mainly seek themselves to behave in such a way that they retain or increase their relational value. So it mainly reflects their efforts to maintain relational values in the eyes of other people, rather than to maintain their self-esteem.

Do acceptance and rejection play a role in all changes in self-confidence?

According to traditional conceptualization, self-esteem is the personal evaluation of an individual. This involves an assessment of whether someone has achieved or lived out his personal goals.

Why is calibration of the sociometer and interpersonal self-regulation important?

Calibration is important because otherwise it will no longer accurately display the relational values of the person. Personal and psychological problems can be conceptualized as miscalibration of the sociometer.

Do people who score low on trait self-esteem necessarily have a poorly calibrated socimeter?

No this is not the case. The sociameters can be well calibrated for people with low self-esteem. They often determine a low degree of relational value. This can be confused with an incorrectly calibrated sociometer. Emotional stress and self-regulation can be the result of a wrongly calibrated sociometer.

What conclusions do the writers draw at the end of this chapter?

At the end of this chapter, the writers draw three important conclusions. First, for self-regulation of interpersonal behavior, it is useful to operationalize the sociometer as a psychological mechanism that controls the environment of people and helps them to minimize the risk of rejection.

The second conclusion that the writers draw is that people have a regulatory mechanism that responds to changes in relational value. The concept of the sociometer offers an umbrella framework for various phenomena. This includes self-esteem, interpersonal emotions, reactions to the relationship and, for example, personality disorders.

The third conclusion that the writers draw is that the metaphor of the sociometer as a psychological measure of relational value can provide even more insights. Especially when it comes to when people self-regulate in dysfunctional ways that cause harm in their relationships with other people.