• Vohs, Ciarocco and Baumeister, 2005
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Today We’ll Discuss:
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Impact of maintaining a socially desirable image
A. Resource depletion
B. Impact on further self regulation abilities
C. How decreased self-regulation impacts attempts at
maintaining socially desirable behaviours
Introvert at a social gathering
A. It’s exhausting
B. Eventually desire for social desirability decreases
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Hypothesis:
• Self-presentation demands and depletes
self-regulatory processes
Experimental Manipulation
1) Deplete Resources (IV)
2) Measure self regulation abilities (DV)
3) Compare with control (no depleted resources)
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Method:
A. P’s create a speech for an accepting or sceptical audience (IV)
• Speech about self - Be competent & likable or be yourself
B. P’s restrain emotional expression during an upsetting video (DV)
• Video depicts inhumane violence towards helpless animals
C. Compare facial expressions to control
• Expressions were coded, added and compared to control
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Results
30 Male P’s
30 Female P’s
p < .01
Participants striving to be competent and likable in front of a sceptical
audience were less likely to restrain emotional expression while watching
an upsetting video than the control group with an accepting audience.
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Other Studies:
Reversal of IV and DV
• Watch video, then measure quality of impression mgmt.
Found that when self regulation resources were depleted,
ability to behave in a socially desirable way decreased.
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Discussion:
• Creating a positive socially desirable image depletes selfregulatory processes.
• Depletion of self-regulatory processes can result in a
decrease in the ability to regulate self-presentation.
• Practice makes perfect
Limitations:
• Cultural and age differences?
more practice – less self-regulation required
Self Regulation & Self Presentation
Future Directions:
• Can we change an introvert into an extrovert?
• Are there any personality traits we can’t change?
• If introversion is genetic, but it can be changed;
can self-regulation impact epigenetics?
Question to Consider:
• If we know resources will be depleted, should we work
this into our implementation intentions? What types of
activities will restore my self regulation resources?
• i.e. after the party, my self regulation ability may be hindered –
before going home to binge on my diet – I will go to the park to
restore my resources. How long should go for?
Self Regulation & Self Presentation