Gender-Typical Responses to Sexual and Emotional Infidelity as a Function of Mortality Salience Induced Self-Esteem Striving
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2003
Keywords
terror management theory, gender-differentiated jealousy, evolution, self-esteem
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203256880
Abstract
The authors propose that gender-differentiated patterns of jealousy in response to sexual and emotional infidelity are engendered by the differential impact of each event on self-esteem for men and women. Study 1 demonstrated that men derive relatively more self-esteem from their sexlives, whereas women’s self-esteem is more contingent on romantic commitment. Based on terror management theory, it is predicted that if gender-differentiated responses to infidelity are motivated by gender-specific contingencies for self-esteem, they should be intensified following reminders of mortality. In Study 2, mortality salience (MS) increased distress in response to sexual infidelity for men and emotional infidelity for women. Study 3 demonstrated that following MS, men who place high value on sexin romantic relationships exhibited greater distress in response to sexual infidelity, but low-ex-value men’s distress was attenuated. The authors discuss the implications for evolutionary and self-esteem-based accounts of jealousy as well as possible integration of these perspectives.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, v. 29, issue 12, p. 1585-1595
Scholar Commons Citation
Goldenberg, Jamie L.; Landau, Mark; Pyszczynski, Tom; Cox, Cox R.; Greenberg, Jeff; Solomon, Sheldon; and Dunnam, Heather, "Gender-Typical Responses to Sexual and Emotional Infidelity as a Function of Mortality Salience Induced Self-Esteem Striving" (2003). Psychology Faculty Publications. 1521.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/1521
