Boosting our self esteem: A need to gossip Kristine Barnes-Meyers Dawn Mohar

Research Background Gossip can be used to remind the group members that it is important to follow the group’s norms and values (McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007) It has been shown that if any individual of a group steps out of line it can affect the group as a whole (Hopman &Leeuwen, 2009) Gossip has been used to have a feeling of control and to manipulate and control others’ reputations (McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007; Watson & MacEwan, 2011) Gossip is used as an evolutionary tool, to get rid of the weak individuals in order to strengthen the group as a whole (McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007)

Research Background (Cont.) There are three major approaches to the gossip theory: Sociological/anthropological – focuses on the group but states that the individual brings his own interests and needs Social psychology – focuses on what the individual will gain from participating in gossip (status, power, entertainment) Individual Approach – focuses on gossip as a reflection of the persons inner unconscious life. Considers gossip a defense mechanism (Watson & MacEwan, 2011)

Previous Research Concludes… People tend to care more about gossip that pertains to those of the same sex (McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007) People tend to share gossip with their allies rather than non-allies (McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007) A low status group will gossip more to the “in group” to be more loyal to the “in group” (Hopman & Leeuwen, 2009) A high status group will gossip more to the “out-group” to be more loyal to the “in group” (Hoppman & Leeuwen, 2009) Gossip is used by those with low self esteem and self efficacy in order to gain control, clarity, and power (Watson & MacEwan, 2011) Gossip is a status enhancing mechanism (Watson & MacEwan, 2011)

Study Goals Study the relationship between an individual’s self esteem and his/her likelihood to gossip. Like previous research studies, our study will focus on the type of gossip that a person is most likely to share and with whom they are most likely to share it. Unlike previous studies, our study will focus on how self esteem relates to the likelihood of an individual to gossip. Most previous research focused on gossip as a way to move up the social ladder.

Hypothesis Women with low self esteem gossip more than women with high self esteem. Women with low self esteem will be more open to who they share gossip with whereas women with high self esteem will only gossip with their close friends. Men are less likely to gossip regardless of their self- esteem level.

Target Population Gwynedd-Mercy college students (undergraduate) 86 students took the survey 12 were discarded due to missing data The remaining data included: 44 Female 30 Male Students from multiple majors Criminal justice Psychology Nursing

Measures Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale 10 statements about an individuals worth Four rankings: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree Three categories: Love/relationships Academic Social Each category will have three scenarios: One outrageous scenario One moderately scandalous scenario One dull scenario Four follow up questions: How likely are you to tell a friend? How likely are you to tell many friends? How likely are you to tell a rival? How likely are you to tell a person of authority?

Scenarios… Love/Relationships You find out that someone is cheating on their significant other with a same sex partner You witness someone you know cheating on their significant other. You find out someone you know has recently started dating a new person. Academic You witness a student engaging in consensual inappropriate sexual behavior with a teacher to get good grades. You witness a person that you know cheating on a final exam. You find out your friend was the only one to get a 4.0 in the class. Social You find out someone was kicked out of class because they were drinking alcohol out of a coffee cup in class. You witness someone being bullied. You witness college students drinking on campus.

Data Analysis The average self-esteem scores were calculated for both groups (male and female) The mean was discarded for each group in order to obtain a high and low self-esteem (10 discarded in total) Average score for males was 15 Participants who had a score equal or less than 14 were in the high self-esteem group Participants who had a score equal or greater than 16 were in the low self-esteem group Average score for females was 17 Participants who had a score equal or less than 16 were in the high self-esteem group Participants who had a score equal or greater than 18 were in the low self-esteem group

Discussion Females with low self-esteem tend to gossip more than those with high self-esteem Men with low self esteem tend to gossip more than those with high self-esteem Why? Social status

Limitations A larger sample Many of the participants were psychology students The participants received both surveys at the same time Future Direction It would be interesting to conduct this research in a high school setting

References Hopman, P. & Leeuwen, E. V. (2009). Who d we inform? The role of status and target in intergroup whistle-blowing. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 12(5), doi / McAndrew, F. T., Bell, E. K., & Garcia, C. M. (2007). Who do we tell and whom do we tell on? Gossip as a strategy for status enhancement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37(7), doi /j x Watson, D. C. & MacEwan, G. (2011). Gossip and the self. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(7), doi /j x