PSYC 333 L15 - Self-Presentation

• Self-Presentation

  • Any behaviour made with the intention of influencing how other people see you
  • The process of constructing and maintaining a desired reputation
• Automatic Self-Presentation


  • Self-presentation tends to be automatic, not strategic
  • Follows behavioural scripts/habits that have been frequently rewarded in the past
  • Especially with people we're familiar with and who know us well
• Controlled Self-Presentation


  • More self-conscious and focused on the impression we're creating, including planning and rehearsing the self-presentation
  • More likely when the audience is important and we're uncertain about the impression we're creating
• Characteristics of Desirable Self-Presentations

  • Beneficial
  • Believable
• Beneficial Self-Presentation


  The actor views it as facilitating their goals
• Believable Self-Presentation


  The self-presentation can be credibly presented and defended to the audience
• Self-Presentation Stems from Desire to be Liked


  • Self-presentation is often motivated by the desire to be liked by others
  • Rooted in evolution: A good reputation increases one's chances of survival and reproduction
  • In modern times, a good reputation is also essential for smooth and successful social functioning
• Public vs. Private Self

  People behave in more socially desirable ways in public vs. private
• In public, people are more generous and helpful when others are watching, conform more and accept more influence from others, and work harder when watched
• 63% of participants chose to endure pain instead of sharing IAT score showing they are highly racist
• 30% of students chose to hold their hand in a bucket of worms for 1 min rather than broadcast high racism score
• People have a strong desire to maintain a moral reputation and will go to great lengths to avoid a bad reputation
• Self-Enhancement


  Self-presentation is usually self-enhancing in order to be liked
• Self-Enhancement Moderated on Audience

  • With strangers, we are generally more self-enhancing
  • With close others (e.g. friends) we are generally more modest and more willing to self-present a less perfect image
• Audience-Pleasing Self-Presentation


  • Self-presentation is adjusted to please the audience
  • What is likeable and appropriate depends on the audience
• Women minimized their competence in order to create a positive impression on an attractive male interaction partner
• The desire to be liked can lead us to self-present in a negative, problematic way if we believe this will please the audience
• Research indicates that our desire to be liked by others can lead us to self-present in ways that are unhealthy and detrimental
• The desire to impress an attractive female experimenter led male skateboarders to perform more risky tricks and have more accidents
• Self-Presentation Backfires

  • Too obvious
  • Come across as bragging
  • Behaviour doesn't match claims
• Self-presentation, whether positive or negative, can also be motivated by other goals besides being liked
• In general, people are pretty good at creating believable self-presentations, and onlookers are bad at detecting deception
• Self-presentation

  Building a desirable reputation
• Self-presentation is engaged in automatically
• Motivation for self-presentation

  Desire to be liked by others
• Desirable self-presentations

  • Beneficial
  • Facilitating the actor's goals
  • Believable
• People are generally good at creating believable self-presentations
• Onlookers are generally bad at detecting deception in self-presentations
• Consistency in self-presentation

  Self-presentation produces obligations for people to follow through on who they say they are in the long-run
• Inconsistency in self-presentation

  People seen as inconsistent are less liked
• Creating a believable impression

  1. Adjust self-presentation based on whether claims can be verified or not

  2. Under anonymous conditions, self-present in a self-enhancing way

  3. Under public conditions, self-present consistently with actual performance
• We present ourselves as positively as we can get away with
• When trying to repair a bad reputation, people highlight their positive qualities unrelated to the bad reputation
• Self-monitoring

  Personality trait reflecting the extent to which people monitor their self-presentations
• High self-monitors care more about creating a good impression and conform more to others' expectations, while low self-monitors try to create an impression of being independent, autonomous, and/or unique
• Self-presentation on social media

  • Facilitates more control over public image
  • Renders self-presentation more anxiety-provoking
• Social media profiles appear to reflect people's real personalities
• Accuracy of personality judgments on social media

  Depends on visibility of traits and extent of activity on social media
• Extraversion, openness, and neuroticism are judged more accurately on Instagram than agreeableness and conscientiousness