Definition
The self-esteem system is a psychological adaptation that services the need to belong by regulating social thinking, feeling, and behavior. It functions in part by monitoring, and eventually internalizing, one’s perceived value as a relational partner, both globally and in specific social domains.
Introduction
Human beings rely on their social bonds to survive and to thrive. In the early ancestral environment, a lone individual would not have fared well against predators or the natural elements. To survive and successfully reproduce, people needed to establish strong bonds with others and then work to maintain those bonds over time. Thus, natural and sexual selection shaped humans into a uniquely social species, possessing psychobiological adaptations designed to help them navigate the complexities of social interaction. Such adaptations include a powerful need to belong, which...
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Fisher, A.N., Stinson, D.A., Cameron, J.J. (2016). Self-Esteem Reflects Assessments of Valuation. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1444-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1444-1
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