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The relationship between arousal and positive self-presentation.

L Christensen1

  • 1Texas A&M University, Dept. of Psychology, College Station 77843, USA.

Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 1, 1981
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Participants experienced physiological arousal, indicated by increased heart rate, when informed they presented themselves negatively. This supports the theory that individuals are motivated to maintain a positive self-presentation in psychological studies.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Physiological Psychology

Background:

  • Understanding participant motivation in psychological experiments is crucial for valid research.
  • Theories suggest individuals strive for positive self-presentation, influencing their behavior and responses.
  • Previous research has explored self-presentation but often without direct physiological measures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that negative self-presentation information induces physiological arousal in participants.
  • To examine the role of self-presentation motives in experimental settings.
  • To differentiate arousal responses based on feedback about social image.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-seven subjects were randomly assigned to control, evaluation apprehension, or negative feedback conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Continuous heart-rate monitoring was used to measure physiological arousal.
  • Participants rated photographs, with specific feedback provided to experimental groups.

    • Main Results:

    • An increase in heart rate, above baseline, was observed exclusively in the negative feedback group.
    • This arousal occurred when participants received information suggesting maladjustment or negative self-presentation.
    • No significant heart-rate increase was noted in the control or evaluation apprehension groups.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings support the self-presentation explanation of participant motivation in psychological research.
    • Individuals exhibit physiological arousal when their social image is perceived as threatened by negative feedback.
    • This highlights the importance of considering self-presentation concerns when interpreting experimental results.