C037

Social/Evaluative Risk Tolerance

B04 Threat & Self-preservation
Core LayerMML-2

Version v1.3.2

Definition

Willingness to tolerate the risk of disapproval, rejection, criticism, and shame; speaking up, asking, proposing, initiating, and being visible and evaluated.

Poles

Each HES element is a spectrum, not a category: the Low and High poles describe how it presents at its two extremes, while the Reference marks the typical, everyday middle. The poles map variation across the range — neither end is inherently better or worse.

Low Pole

Evaluative risk aversion: evaluative risk feels heavy; avoids public speaking, asking, initiating to escape rejection/shame/critical attention.

High Pole

Handles evaluation easily; initiates and stays visible despite the possibility of rejection or criticism.

Reference

Moderate tolerance: high in familiar settings, lower in novel/public contexts.

Measure

Evaluative-pressure threshold at which avoidance behavior activates.

Measuring Methods

• Scenarios with graded rejection/criticism probability.
• Behavioral rates of initiation, public actions, requests.
• Observation: behavior shift when an “audience” is present.

Empirical Anchor

Evaluation apprehension (Cottrell, 1972); social risk-taking (Jackson et al., 1972); DOSPERT social risk domain (Blais & Weber, 2006).

Notes

• Distinct from C020Social Approach Tendency: one may enjoy contact yet fear evaluation, or vice versa.
• Risks at MIN: under-expression, missed roles.
• Risks at MAX: social disinhibition, norm violations, conflict.

Citation

APA

Human Elements System. (2026). Social/Evaluative Risk Tolerance (HES Passport C037, v1.3.2). hestable.com. https://hestable.com/passport/C037

BibTeX

@misc{hes_C037, author = {{Human Elements System}}, title = {{Social/Evaluative Risk Tolerance}}, year = {2026}, note = {HES Passport C037, v1.3.2}, howpublished = {\url{https://hestable.com/passport/C037}} }