Abstract
When a significant-other representation is activated, the goal to be known and understood by others-that is, self-verified-is automatically elicited, leading people to desire appraisals from others that verify their pre-existing relational self-conceptions (Kraus & Chen, 2009). The present study tested whether activating a significant-other representation would lead people to engage in behaviors designed to obtain self-verification-namely, presenting themselves in a self-verifying manner to others. Relative to their self-descriptions for a control website, when presenting themselves on a website focused on significant-other relationships participants were more likely to describe themselves in a manner consistent with how they had previously described their relational self. Moreover, participants' self-descriptions for the significant-other website, relative to the control website, were rated higher in honesty and authenticity by independent judges. Long-term consequences of pursuing self-verification goals for the relational self and for one's honesty and authenticity are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 45-57 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Self and Identity |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- Relational self
- Self-concept
- Self-evaluative goals
- Self-verification
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology