Self-esteem in marriage

This research tested two hypotheses about the evolutionary function of self-esteem, with reference to the marital context: Self-esteem evolved as a psychological solution to the adaptive problem of (1) tracking reproductively-relevant costs inflicted by a spouse, and (2) tracking own value as a long-term mate. Two hundred and fourteen individuals evaluated their self-esteem and provided information about marital conflict and marital satisfaction. Couples were interviewed by two interviewers who independently assessed each participant’s mate value and physical attractiveness. Results provide support for both hypothesized functions of self-esteem. Key findings include: husbands’ self-esteem is negatively correlated with wives’ sexual infidelity and with wives’ complaints of husbands’ abuse and jealousy; wives’ self-esteem is negatively correlated with husbands’ derogation of wives’ physical attractiveness and positively correlated with interviewer ratings of wives’ physical attractiveness. Discussion integrates the two hypothesized functions of self-esteem with the “sociometer hypothesis” (M. R. Leary, E. S. Tambor, S. K. Terdal & D. L. Downs, 1995: Self-esteem as an interpersonal monitor. The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 518–530) that self-esteem tracks social rejection