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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
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.
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.
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