Self Presentation

... A Field Study of Applicant Impression Management ... Two issues were explored: (a) whichimpression management (IM) tactics applicants use during actual interviews and (b) whether there is a relationship between applicants' IM tactics and their interview outcomes. ...

Social media make fast inroads into organisations. This raises issues regarding self-presentation and locating experts in these new emerging communication spaces, as the basis for effective social media-enabled knowledge work. However, research on self-presentation and identity in organisational social media is only just emerging and has been founded on broader understandings from studies of public social media. In this literature study we demonstrate that the existing body of research on identity in social media is dominated by a ‘representational lens’. Based on an analysis of the historic foundations of this stream of research, we will expose limitations of this lens in capturing contemporary engagement in online spaces and advocate for a ‘performative lens ’ in studying identity work in organisations. We contribute a detailed exposition of the evolution of identity studies in the context of public social media, and we offer an alternative lens for studying the topic in organisat...

Online dating is a popular new tool for initiating romantic relationships, although recent research and media reports suggest that it may also be fertile ground for deception. Unlike previous studies that rely solely on self-report data, the present study establishes ground truth for 80 online daters' height, weight and age, and compares ground truth data to the information provided in online dating profiles. The results suggest that deception is indeed frequently observed, but that the magnitude of the deceptions is usually small. As expected, deceptions differ by gender. Results are discussed in light of the Hyperpersonal model and the self-presentational tensions experienced by online dating participants.

Early research on online self-presentation mostly focused on identity constructions in anonymous online environments. Such studies found that individuals tended to engage in role-play games and anti-normative behaviors in the online world. More recent studies have examined identity performance in less anonymous online settings such as Internet dating sites and reported different findings. The present study investigates identity construction on Facebook, a newly emerged nonymous online environment. Based on content analysis of 63 Facebook accounts, we find that the identities produced in this nonymous environment differ from those constructed in the anonymous online environments previously reported. Facebook users predominantly claim their identities implicitly rather than explicitly; they ''show rather than tell" and stress group and consumer identities over personally narrated ones. The characteristics of such identities are described and the implications of this finding are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The hyperpersonal model of computer-mediated communication (CMC) posits that users exploit the technological aspects of CMC in order to enhance the messages they construct to manage impressions and facilitate desired relationships. This research examined how CMC users managed message composing time, editing behaviors, personal language, sentence complexity, and relational tone in their initial messages to different presumed targets, and the cognitive awareness related to these processes. Effects on several of these processes and outcomes were obtained in response to different targets, partially supporting the hyperpersonal perspective of CMC, with unanticipated gender and status interaction effects suggesting behavioral compensation through CMC, or overcompensation when addressing presumably undesirable partners.

Overview: The various forms of interpersonal communication that take place on the internet are considered and several questions concerning the efficacy of interpersonal communication over the internet are raised (i.e. whether this form of communication can be compared to actual face-to-face communication).

Because of special characteristics of nonverbal behaviors (e.g., they can be difficult to suppress, they are more accessible to the people who observe them than to the people who produce them), the intention to produce a particular nonverbal expression for self-presentational purposes cannot always be successfully translated into the actual production of that expression. The literatures on people's skills at using their nonverbal behaviors to feign internal states and to deceive are reviewed as they pertain to the question of whether people can overcome the many constraints on the translation of their intentions into expressions. The issue of whether people's deliberate attempts to regulate their nonverbal behaviors can be detected by others is also considered.

Abstract This research expands on the work of Goffman (1959) in seeking to examine how players of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) use virtual environments as a mechanism to explore their own offline identity, through the use of multiple characters and gender swapping. Using Thematic Analysis of four interviews, five themes have been identified which will inform a larger Grounded Theory study. It is argued that these themes provide the foundation for the construction of solid theoretical constructs which will inform ...

Attachment theory has been extremely successful at stimulating research on the formation and quality of emotional bonds and the complex interplay between individual-level and relationship-level processes in all phases of the lifespan . In this chapter, we review and assess some of the empirical findings and propose integrative ideas concerning both normative and individual-difference aspects of personal relationships in adulthood. First, we present a theoretical model of the activation and psychodynamics of the attachment behavioral system in adulthood and describe the intrapsychic and interpersonal manifestations of the sense of attachment security and the regulatory strategies of hyperactivation and deactivation. Next, we focus on romantic relationships, the site of some of the most important emotional bonds in adulthood, and explore implications of variations in attachment-system functioning for the formation and maintenance of these relationships. Specifically, we discuss (a) the contribution of these variations to relationship quality in different stages of a romantic relationship (initiation, consolidation, and maintenance) and (b) the interpersonal processes that explain this contribution. Finally, we extend our theoretical analysis to other kinds of relationships, such as relationships within family systems, friendships, therapeutic relationships, and both intra-and intergroup relations.

Attachment theory has been extremely successful at stimulating research on the formation and quality of emotional bonds and the complex interplay between individual-level and relationship-level processes in all phases of the lifespan . In this chapter, we review and assess some of the empirical findings and propose integrative ideas concerning both normative and individual-difference aspects of personal relationships in adulthood. First, we present a theoretical model of the activation and psychodynamics of the attachment behavioral system in adulthood and describe the intrapsychic and interpersonal manifestations of the sense of attachment security and the regulatory strategies of hyperactivation and deactivation. Next, we focus on romantic relationships, the site of some of the most important emotional bonds in adulthood, and explore implications of variations in attachment-system functioning for the formation and maintenance of these relationships. Specifically, we discuss (a) the contribution of these variations to relationship quality in different stages of a romantic relationship (initiation, consolidation, and maintenance) and (b) the interpersonal processes that explain this contribution. Finally, we extend our theoretical analysis to other kinds of relationships, such as relationships within family systems, friendships, therapeutic relationships, and both intra-and intergroup relations.

... Login to save citations to My List. Citation. Database: PsycINFO. [Journal Article]. Self-presentation and self-promotion in an organizational setting. Giacalone, Robert A.; Rosenfeld, Paul. The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol 126(3), Jun 1986, 321-326. Abstract. ...

Conspicuous consumption is a form of economic behavior in which self-presentational concerns override desires to obtain goods at bargain prices. Showy spending may be a social signal directed at potential mates. We investigated such signals by examining (a) which individuals send them, (b) which contexts trigger them, and (c) how observers interpret them. Three experiments demonstrated that conspicuous consumption is driven by men who are following a lower investment (vs. higher investment) mating strategy and is triggered specifically by short-term (vs. long-term) mating motives. A fourth experiment showed that observers interpret such signals accurately, with women perceiving men who conspicuously consume as being interested in short-term mating. Furthermore, conspicuous purchasing enhanced men's desirability as a short-term (but not as a long-term) mate. Overall, these findings suggest that flaunting status-linked goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources. Instead, conspicuous consumption appears to be part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating. These findings contribute to an emerging literature on human life-history strategies.

This study examined how differences in expectations about meeting impacted the degree of deceptive self-presentation individuals displayed within the context of dating. Participants filled out personality measures in one of four anticipated meeting conditions: face-to-face, email, no meeting, and a control condition with no pretense of dating. Results indicated that, compared to baseline measures, male participants increased the amount they self-presented when anticipating a future interaction with a prospective date. Specifically, male ...

Research on adults indicates that perfectionistic self-presentation, the interpersonal expression of one's perfection, is associated with a variety of psychopathological outcomes independent of trait perfectionism and Big Five traits. The current article reports on the development and evidence for the validity of the subtest score interpretations of an 18-item self-report measure of perfectionistic self-presentation for children and adolescents. Analyses conducted on data from two clinical samples and one nonclinical sample of children and adolescents found that the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale-Junior Form (PSPS-Jr) reflected a multidimensional model of perfectionistic self-presentation with three subscales: Perfectionistic Self Promotion, Nondisplay of Imperfection, and Nondisclosure of Imperfection. The subscale scores were found to demonstrate internal consistency, and there was good evidence supporting the validity of the interpretation of subscale scores based on this new measure. The subscales were associated with maladaptive outcomes, but were not influenced unduly by biases that included social desirability and differential item functioning by gender. Overall, the PSPS-Jr appears to be a useful measure of the expression of perfection among youths and an important tool in attempting to understand the nature and the consequences of perfectionistic self-presentation in children and adolescents.

Early research on online self-presentation mostly focused on identity constructions in anonymous online environments. Such studies found that individuals tended to engage in role-play games and anti-normative behaviors in the online world. More recent studies have examined identity performance in less anonymous online settings such as Internet dating sites and reported different findings. The present study investigates identity construction on Facebook, a newly emerged nonymous online environment. Based on content analysis of 63 Facebook accounts, we find that the identities produced in this nonymous environment differ from those constructed in the anonymous online environments previously reported. Facebook users predominantly claim their identities implicitly rather than explicitly; they ''show rather than tell" and stress group and consumer identities over personally narrated ones. The characteristics of such identities are described and the implications of this finding are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The social networking site, Facebook, has gained an enormous amount of popularity. In this article, we review the literature on the factors contributing to Facebook use. We propose a model suggesting that Facebook use is motivated by two primary needs: (1) The need to belong and (2) the need for self-presentation. Demographic and cultural factors contribute to the need to belong, whereas neuroticism, narcissism, shyness, self-esteem and self-worth contribute to the need for self presentation. Areas for future research are discussed.

The present research seeks to extend existing theory on self-disclosure to the online arena in higher educational institutions and contribute to the knowledge base and understanding about the use of a popular social networking site (SNS), Facebook, by college students. We conducted a non-experimental study to investigate how university students (N = 463) use Facebook, and examined the roles that personality and culture play in disclosure of information in online SNS-based environments. Results showed that individuals do disclose differently online vs. in-person, and that both culture and personality matter. Specifically, it was found that collectivistic individuals low on extraversion and interacting in an online environment disclosed the least honest and the most audience-relevant information, as compared to others. Exploratory analyses also indicate that students use sites such as Facebook primarily to maintain existing personal relationships and selectively used privacy settings to control their self-presentation on SNSs. The findings of this study offer insight into understanding college students' self-disclosure on SNS, add to the literature on personality and self-disclosure, and shape future directions for research and practice on online self-presentation.

This paper examines how users negotiate their self-presentation via an avatar used in social media. Twenty participants customised an avatar while thinking aloud. An analysis of this verbal data revealed three motivating factors that drive self-presentation: (1) avatars were used to accurately reflect their owners’ offline self; participants chose to display stable self-attributes or idealised their avatar by concealing or emphasising attributes aligned to imagined social roles, (2) the diversity of customisation options was exploited by some participants who broke free from the social rules governing self-presentation offline; others used the avatar's appearance to emotionally provoke and engage the avatar viewer and finally, (3) avatars were used as proxies; participants designed their online self in order to convey a message to a significant other.

Purpose – Many people moving into a new culture for work or study do so without prior cross-cultural training, yet successful cultural adaptation has important ramifications. The purpose of this paper is to focus on cross-cultural impression management as an element of cultural adaptation. Does cultural adaptation begin by paying strong attention to nonverbal cues in a host culture? How is that attention converted into knowledge, and how do people use such knowledge management during impression management within the new culture?

Design/methodology/approach – The method was qualitative. In total, ten international students at an English university were recruited. All originated outside the European Union and each took part in a one-hour structured interview. The transcripts were analysed through thematic analysis.

Findings – International students adopted cross-cultural impression management strategies in order to enhance successful adaptation to the new host culture. Students consciously processed knowledge about nonverbal behaviour norms through everyday interactions. They audited knowledge deficits by detecting differences between the host norms and their home culture's norms. The motives for this included desiring to maximise rewards from situations.

Research limitations/implications – The findings imply that being in a new culture makes people “high self monitors”. They are more aware than usual about their own and others' nonverbal behaviours. The findings tell us about how cultural adaptation begins.

Originality/value – This appears to be the first in-depth qualitative research examining cross-cultural impression management by international students and deducing implications for expatriates.

The personality disorder of dispositional procrastination was significantly related to a concern for appropriate self-presentations. Procrastinators (n = 39) and nonprocrastinators (n = 36) rated a social ability task more attractive, personally relevant and likely to be performed well than a cognitive ability task. Procrastinators and nonprocrastinators stated they would prefer to complete the social task, yet in a public performance feedback condition procrastinators only chose to complete the cognitive task. Results were interpreted in terms of self-presentation strategies by dispositional procrastinators, and draws attention to a pathological personality that has largely been ignored by research psychologists.

Engaging in positive self-presentation may have beneficial consequences for mood that are typically overlooked. Across a series of studies, participants underestimated how good they would feel in situations that required them to put their best face forward. In Studies 1 and 2a, participants underestimated the emotional benefits of interacting with an opposite sex stranger versus a romantic partner. In Study 2b, participants who were instructed to engage in selfpresentation felt happier after interacting with their romantic partner than participants not given this instruction, although other participants serving as forecasters did not anticipate such benefits.

Following an acknowledgement of colleagues who have critiqued a work, writers sometimes add that the final version is the sole responsibility of the author(s), and not of anyone being thanked. Although there is much variability in responsibility statements, they are formulaic and often consist of the following: a reference to the conventional nature of the statement, a reference to the content of or potential shortcomings in the writing, and a mention of the authors' sole responsibility and/or exoneration of others for conclusions or deficiencies. For example: ''Naturally, I remain responsible for any mistakes still present.'' This paper investigates the face-enhancing value of responsibility statements. Like thanks, gambits, and apologies, responsibility statements are formulaic disclaimers. They exonerate others from blame, but also allow authors to claim ownership of and credit for their work. Responsibility statements allow authors to establish a professional persona and demonstrate that they know the conventions of their profession. Responsibility statements allow authors to present themselves as formal or scholarly, or they can violate the conventions and present themselves as humorous, creative, or individualistic. #

We drew on gender identity theory and social identity theory to examine the structure and content of college students' gender selfstereotypes and how their selective self-stereotyping relate to academic self-schema, personal self-esteem, and collective self-esteem. Although students were aware of the gender stereotypes and perceived them to be true "in general," when asked, which traits were self-descriptive, participants engaged in selective self-stereotyping. Participants tended to report that positive stereotypes were more self-descriptive than group-descriptive, whereas negative stereotypes were more group-descriptive than self-descriptive. The tendency to selectively self-stereotype personality and physical traits was associated with increased personal and collective selfesteem. Selective self-stereotyping in cognitive domains was associated with academic self-schemas for men. The results provide an interesting perspective into the structure, content, and function of gender self-stereotypes. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Professeur de psychologie sociale, Université Rennes 2 Résumé L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer l'efficacité d'un programme de formation à la clairvoyance normative pour demandeurs d'emploi à partir du modèle de Kirkpatrick (1998). Deux groupes de participants ont été constitués : un groupe expérimental « formation clairvoyance normative » et un groupe contrôle « formation classique ». Les résultats ont montré un effet bénéfique du programme de formation à la clairvoyance normative sur les réactions des participants quant à l'utilité perçue de la formation (niveau 1), sur les apprentissages immédiats et différés en matière de connaissances et de savoir-faire en situation (niveau 2), ainsi que sur la généralisation des apprentissages (niveau 3). Les résultats concernant les reclassements (niveau 4) enregistrés immédiatement à l'issue de la formation sont modestes et conformes au taux de reclassement habituel. Ces résultats sont discutés au regard du modèle de Kirkpatrick.

This research describes strategies that immigrants deploy in face-toface interactions with indigenous locals and links these strategies to their relational frames and networks. By focusing on interconnections between identity management and network management, the author further explores some of the key trends already documented in the contemporary literature on ethnicity. The article also adds new insight to the analysis of stigma and identity by showing how self-friend and self-stranger relationships present different opportunities and limitations for self-presentation. Network fragmentation-commonly associated with a weak degree of social integration-is not necessarily an indicator of unsuccessful integration or segregation; it may be part of a wider immigrant identity project, a way to cope with stigmatization, and an important precondition for integration into mainstream society.

This study examined motivational predictors of body image concerns, self-presentation and self-perceptions using self-determination theory as a guiding framework. Aerobic instructors (N = 149) completed questionnaires measuring general need satisfaction, exercise motivational regulations, body image concerns, social physique anxiety, and self-perceptions. Introjected regulation predicted all outcome variables in the expected direction. Intrinsic motivation positively predicted physical self-worth. Further, autonomy need satisfaction negatively predicted body image concerns. Finally, differences existed in need satisfaction, introjected regulation, self-perceptions and social physique anxiety between those at risk of developing eating disorders and those not at risk. The results underline the importance of overall and exercise-specific feelings of self-determination in dealing with body image concerns and low self-perceptions of aerobics instructors.

In the academic and medical literature on alopecia, wigs (hair prostheses) are typically recommended as a coping strategy: a device to camouflage, conceal, or cover hair loss, and cope with the psychological impact of a dramatic change in body image. This paper used Goffman's (1959) theory of impression management to demonstrate (a) the social significance of self-presentation, and (b) how adults with alopecia managed their wig use in their daily lives. Data from 14 interviews, two focus groups and six video diaries with 22 Caucasian adults (19 females, 3 males; 29-74 years, SD = 13.75) with alopecia in Scotland were analysed using discursive psychology. The analysis detailed how participants managed their wig use and behaviours in relation to social interaction with different categories of people. The paper raises concerns about health and medical discourse about wigs as a coping mechanism, and provides practical suggestions for wig users in social settings.

Conspicuous displays of consumption and benevolence might serve as “costly signals” of desirable mate
qualities. If so, they should vary strategically with manipulations of mating-related motives. The authors
examined this possibility in 4 experiments. Inducing mating goals in men increased their willingness to spend on conspicuous luxuries but not on basic necessities. In women, mating goals boosted public—but not private— helping. Although mating motivation did not generally inspire helping in men, it did induce more helpfulness in contexts in which they could display heroism or dominance. Conversely, although mating motivation did not lead women to conspicuously consume, it did lead women to spend more publicly on helpful causes. Overall, romantic motives seem to produce highly strategic and sex-specific
self-presentations best understood within a costly signaling framework.

This study investigates how the length and strength of an expected social relationship are related to different self-presentations. Participants from Korea and the USA were assigned to different relationship conditions using vignettes, and indicated their self-evaluation of personal abilities and social skills. The main effects of both relationship length and strength were found. There were more drastic interactions of culture and relationship length in intensive social relationship conditions than in loose conditions. Based on the results, we claim that the fundamental motivation for positive self-regard is universal, regardless of culture and the self-presentations that are tactical by individuals' social needs.

A computer search was conducted to examine empirical research on the relationship between various ingratiation tactics and the judgments and evaluations of targets and observers. The data revealed a small positive effect for ingratiation on performance evaluations and a significantly stronger positive effect for ingratiation on judgments of interpersonal attraction (i.e., liking). However, these effects were qualified by a number of categorical and continuous moderator variables, including the specific ingratiation tactic used, the perceived transparency of the ingratiation, the direction of the influence attempt {upward, downward, or lateral), whether perceivers were targets of the influence attempt or simply observed the ingratiator, the gender of the perceiver, and the setting in which the data were collected. The implications of these findings for future research on the impact of various forms of ingratiation are discussed. An even more restrictive position can be found in , who denned ingratiation as "a class of strategic behaviors illicitly designed to influence a particular other person concerning the attractiveness of one's personal qualities"

Conspicuous consumption is a form of economic behavior in which self-presentational concerns override desires to obtain goods at bargain prices. Showy spending may be a social signal directed at potential mates. We investigated such signals by examining (a) which individuals send them, (b) which contexts trigger them, and (c) how observers interpret them. Three experiments demonstrated that conspicuous consumption is driven by men who are following a lower investment (vs. higher investment) mating strategy and is triggered specifically by short-term (vs. long-term) mating motives. A fourth experiment showed that observers interpret such signals accurately, with women perceiving men who conspicuously consume as being interested in short-term mating. Furthermore, conspicuous purchasing enhanced men's desirability as a short-term (but not as a long-term) mate. Overall, these findings suggest that flaunting status-linked goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources. Instead, conspicuous consumption appears to be part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating. These findings contribute to an emerging literature on human life-history strategies.

To examine the impact of self-presentations on private self-appraisals, subjects were induced to characterize themselves positively or negatively during a face-to-face interview, during a written interview, or on a private questionnaire. As hypothesized, subjects high in Social Identity (the tendency to root identity in social sources of experience) shifted their self-appraisals in the direction of their positive or negative role after a face-to-face interaction, but were less affected by role in their private self-characterizations. In contrast, subjects low in Social Identity were primarily affected by a private, positive self-characterization. The latter subjects were not indifferent to how they appeared to others, as indicated by their attempts to rationalize negative, face-to-face self-presentations; they simply did not define themselves in terms of their public appearance.

Intended self-presentation in job interviews was examined among university students in 10 countries (N = 3,509). The aim was to assess cross-cultural differences in the endorsement of self-presentation tactics, and whether such differences could be explained by cultural values and socioeconomic variables. The Cultural Impression Management Scale-Applicant Scale (CIM-A) was used that measures assertiveness, individual excellence, accommodation, and pointing out obstacles. Cross-cultural differences were found in endorsement of all tactics, most notably in individual excellence and pointing out obstacles. Importance assigned to self-presentation tactics was larger among individuals from cultures emphasizing embeddedness, mastery, and hierarchy, and with larger income disparities. The exception to this pattern was the American sample. Implications for personnel selection in international contexts are discussed.

Perfectionism is a vulnerability factor for distress that is considered either a form of personality pathology (PP) per se or an associated feature of PP. This study investigated trait perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, and PP using two large samples and two leading models of PP (see APA, 1994;. Perceiving perfectionistic demands from others, promoting a perfect image to others, and concealing perceived imperfections from others were positively correlated with most forms of PP. In contrast, demanding perfection of oneself and demanding perfection from others were largely, but not entirely, unrelated to PP. Results also suggested that perfectionism dimensions provide unique information compared to each other and to the Big Five. For some domains of PP (e.g., Cluster C), perfectionism dimensions may operate as a central factor that drives core elements of the pathology. For other domains of PP (e.g., dissocial behavior), perfectionism may function as a peripheral feature that reinforces aspects of the pathology.

Hundreds of studies have documented disparities in medical treatment in the USA. These findings have generated research and initiatives intended to understand and ameliorate such disparities. Many articles examine disadvantaged patients' beliefs and attitudes toward health care, but generally limit their investigation to how these beliefs and attitudes influence adherence and utilization. Thus, this approach fails to consider whether patients use particular strategies to overcome providers' potentially negative perceptions of them and/or obtain quality medical care. In this paper, we examine positive self-presentation as a strategy that may be used by disadvantaged groups to improve their medical treatment. Analysis of survey data (the 2004 Greater Cincinnati Survey) suggests that both African Americans and lower socioeconomic status persons are more likely than whites or higher socioeconomic status persons to report that positive self-presentation is important for their getting the best medical care. Based on these findings, we suggest several routes for future research that will advance our understanding of patients' everyday strategies for getting the best health care. r