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Self-Discrepancy Theory

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People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...

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Frustration occurs when people are obstructed or prevented from achieving a desired goal or fulfilling a perceived need. For example, when someone's input is ignored in a discussion, it can lead to feelings of frustration. Conflict, however, arises from opposing interests, goals, or actions. Conflicts can take various forms based on the nature of these opposing desires or goals.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 31, 2025

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Published on: October 28, 2020

Authentic for Thee But Not for Me: Perceived Authenticity in Self-Control Conflicts.

Katie E Garrison¹, Grace N Rivera², Rebecca J Schlegel³

¹The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA.

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin

|August 19, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

People view others' impulsive actions as more authentic, but their own self-control as more authentic. This actor-observer asymmetry highlights differing perceptions of authenticity in behavior.

Keywords:

actor-observer authenticity person perception self-control

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

The perception of authenticity in human behavior is a key area of interest.
Understanding whether self-control or impulsive actions are perceived as more authentic is crucial for social cognition.

Approach:

The study employed several hypothetical scenarios across four studies to investigate authenticity perceptions.
An internal meta-analysis was conducted to control for behavior positivity and analyze actor-observer differences.

Key Points:

Participants perceived impulsive actions as more authentic for others, but self-control as more authentic for themselves.
Behavior positivity influenced authenticity perceptions, with more positive behaviors being deemed more authentic.
An actor-observer asymmetry was consistently observed, particularly when controlling for behavior positivity.

Conclusions:

Impulsive actions are perceived as more authentic than self-controlled actions, especially when observing others.
A competing tendency exists to view others' impulsive actions as more authentic than self-control, despite a general tendency to equate positivity with authenticity.