The Need for Cognitive Closure, Self-Esteem, Agency, Communion and Participation in Social Networks

The general objective of the project is to investigate how the need for cognitive closure, self-esteem, agency and communion impacts participation in social networks, and their possible feedback effects, generating also causal links running from individuals’ social networks to their psychological traits. Psychological correlates of participation in social networks are a relatively under-researched area of social psychology. Investigation of causal mechanisms underlying these correlations is even rarer.

The researchers will investigate relationship patterns between one’s psychological traits and building social relationships, both advantageous and disadvantageous for individuals. They will examine if people who make extreme social judgements about others, e.g. see others as only good or bad, find it easier or harder to build relationships.

The scientists will also research how self-esteem influences relationships with others, for example weather high self-esteem helps to make friends and weather an improved self-esteem impacts the way people perceive themselves in terms of being sociable and popular. They will also examine if it is possible to have too many friends and what this would mean.

They will also investigate if certain social relationships may have a negative impact on individuals, for example make them abandon their own goals in order to pursue objectives of a group, such as a family.

In short, the researchers will attempt to demonstrate how social relations, conscious or not, can affect people. They will investigate the relationships between selected psychological traits and an ability to form social networks, and what mechanism(s) are responsible for this link.

The general research objective will be pursued in a threefold way. Firstly, the researches will conduct empirical analyses on the relations between the need for cognitive closure, self-esteem, agency and communion and participation in social networks based on a new, detailed cross-sectional dataset on a representative sample of Polish population. Multivariate correlations will be identified using statistical methods such as hierarchical regression models.

Secondly, causal links between the considered variables will be investigated with the help of Social Network Analysis (specifically, Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models) performed on data gathered in a naturally occurring setting (bounded students’ groups).

Thirdly, an agent-based simulation model calibrated to empirical data will help to investigate the emergent consequences of observed mechanisms from a theoretical angle.

In particular, the execution of the project will allow the team to verify the following detailed hypotheses:

1. The need for cognitive closure (NFC) and participation in social networks
2. Self-esteem and participation in social networks
3. Agency, communion and participation in social networks.

So far research rarely revealed mechanisms underlying these relationships. Only if we have a deeper understanding of them, we can understand the nature of relationships at stake. Thanks to the application of advanced and innovative statistical methods, the research team will attempt to answer questions pertaining to the links between psychological traits and social networks. The answers may potentially be interesting not only to social scientists, but also to all individuals who are interested in building better and more meaningful relationships with others.