When being nice or being smart could bring you down: Compensatory dynamics in strategic self-presentation
(2018) International Review of Social Psychology — Vol. 31, n° 1, p. 16 (2018)
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- Abstract
- Research shows that the two fundamental dimensions of social perception, warmth and competence, are often negatively related in our perceptions of others, the so-called compensation effect. The current experiments investigate people’s use of such compensation when self-presenting strategically to reach a desired goal. In Experiment 1, participants applying for a qualified job emphasized their competence while downplaying their warmth. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants role-playing as crime witnesses similarly attenuated their warmth relative to their competence. In contrast, in Experiment 3, participants in the role of suspects of a severe crime chose to downplay their competence. Results suggest that self-presenters are sensitive to warmth-competence dynamics in social perception as a means to promote the optimal self-image given their specific goals.
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Lindholm, T., & Yzerbyt, V. (2018). When being nice or being smart could bring you down: Compensatory dynamics in strategic self-presentation. International Review of Social Psychology, 31(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.136 (Original work published 2018)