Abstract: Previous studies found that low self-esteem participants existed attentional bias toward social rejection cues. In present article, we reviewed evidence regarding paradigm, theoretical explanation and neural mechanism. The paradigms include Stroop task, probe-detection and spatial cueing target, startle probe task, visual monitoring task and attention shifting task and so on. Sociometer theory, relational schema, attentional component and attentional control may explain the attentional bias of low self-esteem participant. At last, recommendations for future research are discussed including the complexity of structure of self-esteem, the processes and neural mechanism of attentional bias, the framework of attention training effect and the indigenous perspective.

Key words: low self-esteem, attentional bias, rejection