The relationship between approval-based contingent self-esteem and conformity is influenced by sex and task difficulty

Individuals are often faced with the pressure to alter their behaviors or attitudes in order to conform. Researchers have used self-esteem level to explain such conformity but have failed to account for other aspects of self-esteem. The present study examined how approval-based contingent self-esteem (i.e., basing feelings of self-worth on the approval of others) moderates the association between self-esteem level and the tendency to conform. Participants (N = 126) reported their self-esteem level and approval-based contingent self-esteem before completing an online conformity task that varied in difficulty. The results of the study showed that approval-based contingent self-esteem and sex moderated the association between self-esteem level and conformity in ways that were not always predicted. For example, men with approval-based contingent high self-esteem conformed more often on moderately difficult items than men who possessed non-contingent high self-esteem. These results suggest the possibility that different motivations may underlie the tendency to conform as task difficulty changes.