Personality and Persona: Personality Processes in Self-Presentation

Abstract

This article examines the role that personality variables and processes play in people's efforts to manage their public images. Although most research on self‐presentation has focused on situational influences, people differ greatly in the degree to which they care about others’ impressions of them, the types of impressions they try to convey, and their evaluations of their self‐presentational effectiveness. Personality constructs such as public self‐consciousness, approval motivation, and fear of negative evaluation are associated with the motive to manage one's impressions, and people who differ in self‐disclosure and desire for privacy differentially reveal information about themselves to others. Other variables relating to people's self‐concepts, interpersonal goals, and traits influence the construction of specific images. Finally, the extent to which people believe they are capable of making desired impressions influences their impression management strategies and how they respond to other people's evaluations.