Do people know how others view them? An empirical and theoretical account.

Abstract

Meta-accuracy is the extent to which people know how others see them. Following D.A. Kenny and L. Albright (1987), we show how the social relations model (SRM) can be used to investigate meta-accuracy. The results from 8 SRM studies involving 569 subjects are reviewed. We argue that people determine how others view them not from the feedback that they receive from others but from their own self-perceptions. Consistent with this argument are the findings that (a) people overestimate the degree of consistency in the ways that different targets view them and (b) people are better at understanding how others generally view them than how they are uniquely viewed by specific individuals.

Cites (3)

1. Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes.
   Nisbett, Richard E., Wilson, Timothy D. · 1977 · Psychological Review
2. Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena.
   Bem, Daryl J. · 1967 · Psychological Review
3. Nonverbal behavior and self-presentation.
   DePaulo, Bella M. · 1992 · Psychological Bulletin

Show all 3 references

Cited by (25)

1. One Hundred Years of Social Psychology Quantitatively Described
   Richard, F. D., Bond, Charles F., Stokes-Zoota, Juli J. · 2003 · Review of General Psychology
2. The benefits of positive illusions: idealization and the construction of satisfaction in close relationships.
   Murray, Sandra L., Holmes, John G., Griffin, Dale W. · 1996 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
3. Nonverbal behavior and self-presentation.
   DePaulo, Bella M. · 1992 · Psychological Bulletin
4. Self-enhancement and self-protection: What they are and what they do
   Alicke, Mark D., Sedikides, Constantine · 2009 · European Review of Social Psychology
5. Self-Knowledge: Its Limits, Value, and Potential for Improvement
   Wilson, Timothy D., Dunn, Elizabeth W. · 2004 · Annual Review of Psychology

See all 498