TY - JOUR

T1 - When being a bad friend doesn't hurt

T2 - The buffering function of gender typicality against self-esteem-threatening feedback

AU - Szücs, Attila

AU - Schindler, Simon

AU - Reinhard, Marc André

AU - Stahlberg, Dagmar

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Research on domain-specific sociometer theory suggests that individual mate value has a great influence on self-esteem. In this study (N = 124), we investigated the notion that perceived high gender typicality increases one's perceived mate value and thus counteracts the usual decline in state self-esteem following negative feedback. The participants completed a fictitious personality test to assess their individual quality as a friend and received bogus negative feedback. Depending on the experimental condition, participants received a test score close to the mean test score attained by their own or the opposite gender and thus either gender-typical or genderatypical. Additionally, we included a control condition in which no feedback was given. The results showed that participants in the gender-atypical condition reported lower state self-esteem than did participants in the gender-typical condition or the control condition. This buffer effect was mediated by perceived mate value.

AB - Research on domain-specific sociometer theory suggests that individual mate value has a great influence on self-esteem. In this study (N = 124), we investigated the notion that perceived high gender typicality increases one's perceived mate value and thus counteracts the usual decline in state self-esteem following negative feedback. The participants completed a fictitious personality test to assess their individual quality as a friend and received bogus negative feedback. Depending on the experimental condition, participants received a test score close to the mean test score attained by their own or the opposite gender and thus either gender-typical or genderatypical. Additionally, we included a control condition in which no feedback was given. The results showed that participants in the gender-atypical condition reported lower state self-esteem than did participants in the gender-typical condition or the control condition. This buffer effect was mediated by perceived mate value.

KW - Gender typicality

KW - Mate value

KW - Self-esteem

KW - Sociometer theory

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84896484868&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1024/1421-0185/a000128

DO - 10.1024/1421-0185/a000128

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84896484868

VL - 73

SP - 97

EP - 103

JO - Swiss Journal of Psychology

JF - Swiss Journal of Psychology

SN - 1421-0185

IS - 2

ER -