Is a person more receptive to love and affection when his self-esteem, is high or when it is low? Learning theorists, clinicians, and dissonance theorists provide conflicting answers. This paper proposes and tests an explanation for these contradictory research findings. This explanation is based on the assumption that low-self-esteem individuals are unusually receptive to affection when they realize that it is being offered, but that it is most difficult for them to recognize affectionate overtures. A laboratory experiment provides support for this integration.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Jacobs et al. (1971) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched one closely related paper. Consider it for comparative context: