Sex-Specific Link Between Self-Esteem And Mate Value

In their extension of sociometer theory, Kirkpatrick and Ellis (2004) posit the existence of a specific system, the mating sociometer, which functions to monitor and regulate short- and long-term sexual relationships. They suggest that relational status, experiences of romantic acceptance or rejection, and self-evaluations of mate value and its components all influence self-esteem, which then motivates adaptive behavioral responses. There are well-established differences in the determinants of mate value between sexes (Buss 1989), and thus the mating sociometer perspective would predict that there should be sex differences in relationships between specific self-evaluations in domains which contribute to mate value, and self-esteem.