The role of interpersonal perceptions of social inclusion and personality in momentary self-esteem and self-esteem reactivity

Abstract

Empirical research has demonstrated that self-esteem is significantly shaped by social interactions and perceptions of social inclusion; however, less is known about individual differences in the reactivity of momentary self-esteem to social inclusion. Zooming into social interactions, we used data from two adolescent samples (overall N > 200) in two different social settings (i.e., a standardized laboratory interaction vs. real-life interactions) to examine the associations between different interpersonal perceptions (i.e., self-, other-, and metaperceptions) of social inclusion and momentary self-esteem. Further, we investigated how these associations are shaped by an individual’s personality (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness). Multilevel modeling revealed differential associations between interpersonal perceptions and momentary self-esteem, with perceptions formed by the individual (i.e., self- and metaperceptions) more consistently related to momentary self-esteem than perceptions of others. Personality did not emerge as a consistent moderator of these associations but displayed differential effects: Neuroticism dampened self-esteem reactivity in group interactions with unfamiliar interaction partners, but not in dyadic interactions with familiar others. In light of these findings, we discuss the role of the social context and the interaction partner for the dynamic interplay of interpersonal perceptions and the functionality of personality traits.

Boosting yourself? Associations between momentary self-esteem, daily social interactions, and self-esteem development in late adolescence and late adulthood.

“…Specifically, the experience of positive social encounters in daily life was related to more positive evaluations of the self in that moment. Extending previous research (Bleckmann et al, 2023; Denissen et al, 2008; Hutteman et al, 2015), this reactivity effect generalized across the two different age groups in our sample, that is, late adolescence and late adulthood. At the same time, it should be noted that the subsample of older adults was comparably small.…”

“…Along the lines of previous ESM studies using this sample (Bleckmann et al, 2023;Wieczorek et al, 2022), we included a number of control variables. First, following the recommendations by Bolger and Laurenceau (2013), we coded a variable indicating the starting date and timeline of the ESM for the 7 days (coded 0-6).…”

“…Future studies should theoretically derive and empirically test factors that might explain which people are more (or less) prone to self-esteem reactivity. For example, initial research by Bleckmann et al (2023) suggests that adolescents with higher agreeableness may experience higher momentary self-esteem when feeling socially included (i.e., stronger self-esteem reactivity) in social interactions with familiar others. Identifying such individual differences in self-esteem reactivity might be one important step forward in developing interventions to promote momentary self-esteem across the life span.…”

Formation mechanism of contributors’ self-identity based on social identity in online knowledge communities

“…Individual self-esteem can be divided into two levels, internal and external. The internal level is mainly expressed in the members’ desire to be a strong, competent and confident individual in OKCs; the external level refers to the individual’s desire to gain the respect, trust and praise of others in OKCs, and thus achieve a higher social status ( Bleckmann et al, 2022 ). According to the Network Working Group perspective, an OKC is a task-and goal-oriented virtual community whose members tend to gain a sense of task accomplishment based on task contributions ( Pierce and Gardner, 2004 ).…”

I think you might like me: Emergence and change of meta-liking in initial social interactions.

“…1Research has shown that the relationship between self-esteem and the social environment (i.e., social interactions and relationships) is bidirectional (Harris & Orth, 2020): a person’s self-esteem affects their social experiences (de Moor et al, 2021; Harris & Orth, 2020), and positive social experiences can increase a person’s self-esteem (Bleckmann et al, 2022, 2023; Denissen et al, 2008; Hutteman et al, 2015). In the present research, we focus on the former by examining the link between trait self-esteem and meta-liking within social interactions.…”