Comparación social y autoevaluación desde un enfoque evolucionista

Luis Gómez-Jacinto

doi:10.24310/espsiescpsi.vi7.13394

Authors

Luis Gómez-Jacinto Departamento de Psicología Social. Universidad de Málaga Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/espsiescpsi.vi7.13394

Keywords:

Evolutionary psychology, Social comparison, Self-esteem, Self-evaluation, Resource-holding potential, Social attention-holding potential

Abstract

This paper analyzes the drive underlying the self-evaluation of opinions and capacities in an evolutionary framework. The social process that induces self-evaluation is social comparison. This paper proposes that the origin of social comparison and self evaluation comes from social competition through two self-concepts: the potential resource-holding and the social attention-holding power. The psychological equivalent of these two concepts is self-esteem. Self esteem evolved as a sociometer that makes Homo Sapiens gauge the degree of social belonging/social exclusion within reference groups. People are motivated to behave in ways that conserve self-esteem, because self-esteem maintenance behaviour usually reduces the possibility of being ignored, avoided or excluded by others. Self-evaluation is more sensitive to exclusion by people with a close relationship than to rejection by people from outside this close circle. This sensitivity is related to the level of closeness, performance and self-relevance. This self-evaluation maintenance model is a mechanism that solves an evolutionary pro blem which Homo Sapiens must have been faced with in some key moment of evolution.willingness to surrender illusions.

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