Journal
PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN
Volume 36, Issue 12, Pages 1591-1602Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0146167210386239
Keywords
impression management; interpersonally oriented self-control; social desirability; social facilitation; creativity
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The present research tested competing approaches to individual differences in impression management (as measured with social desirability scales) and their implication for behavior in social contexts. A defensiveness approach argues that impression management is a source of defensive self-presentation, which causes performance impairment in public social settings. The competing adjustment approach argues that impression management measures friendliness and self-control, which should bring about performance facilitation in public social settings. To decide between these approaches, two experiments utilized a social facilitation paradigm, whereby task performance was compared between an alone and a public condition. The results supported the predictions of the adjustment approach. Across different tasks, a high impression management score was associated with performance facilitation in social presence, expressed in greater creativity, positive implicit affect, and high self-control. The results reveal previously unnoticed constructive effects of impression management, supporting the reframing of the trait as reflecting interpersonally oriented self-control.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available