Kinesiology 1070A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Handicapping, Impression Management, Social Desirability Bias
27 Sep 2018
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Self Presentation in Sport
Self Presentation:
-Self Presentation= the process by which individuals attempt to control the impressions
others form of them (Also called Impression Management)
Public vs. Private Self Presentation:
-Maintenance of private self happens entirely at cognitive level (only audience is
yourself)
-Maintenance of public self is always overt behaviour (others are the audience)
-Interest is only on factor that affect presentation to others
-How do I look in the eyes of someone else?
-How can I make myself look better to others?
Primary Self-Presentation Goals:
-Self-presentation can be used in 3 interrelated and distinct ways:
-Maximize one’s reward-cost ratio—> social and material outcomes
-Self esteem enhancement and maintenance—> compliments vs criticism
-Development of identity—> create and maintain a certain identity
Leary and Kowalski’s 2 Component Model:
-2 discrete processes that operate according to different principles and is affected by
previous events:
-Impression Motivation= desire to create a certain impression
-Impression Construction= impression management tactics that are used to make
a certain impression
Self Presentation in Sport: (Leary)
-Motivation to engage in sport (ie. improve physical appearance)
-Won’t join sport that their physique is under pressure if they think their physique
is not good
-People’s choice of sport (ie. choose a sport that they can look good doing)
-Usually join a sport that they have a level of competence in
-Quality of the athletic performance (ie. choking and social aspects)
-Will they choke?
-Emotional reaction from being in sport (ie. competitive anxiety)
-What happens if i don't present myself favourably?
Self-Presentation Research in Sport:
-Most research is focussed on 2 individual difference variables grounded in self-
presentation theory=
-Self Handicapping
-Social Physique Anxiety
Self Handicapping:
-A motivated attributional strategy that is often used before performance (responsibility
for success or failure)
-Increase personal responsibility for success
-Decrease person responsibility for failure
-Excuse making before an event
Self Handicapping Behaviour:
-Changing the amount or quality of practice (decreasing quality)
-Creating or exaggerating physical problems (illness/injury)
-Focusing on real or made up character flaws
Self Reported Self Handicapping:
-Complaints of ill or injured
-Socially anxious
-Bad mood
-Victim of a bad event
*When self-handicaps are present, the person is able to capitalize on the
attributional principle of augmentation and discounting
(Win Win situation—> you can’t lose (if I do well, then its a plus but if I lose, its not a
huge deal because I didn't do anything to “prepare”)
Case Study: Pioneer Work of Berglas and Jones
Procedure:
-Undergrads participated to take 2 intelligence tests
-Half the subjects answered solvable questions= contingent success feedback group
-Half the subject answered unsolvable questions= non-contingent success feedback
group
-After the feedback, participants were given the option in taking intelligence enhancing
drugs (actual placebos)
-Activil= enhance performance
-Pandocrin= inhibit performance
-Non-contingent success group took the Pandocrin (they self handicapped!!!) vs.
the contingent success group that took it at a lesser extent
Conclusion:
-By choosing to self-handicap, the participants could blame the drug and not their lack
of ability if they failed or did worse on the retest
Tendency of Self Handicapping:
-Rhodewalt suggested that self handicapping tendencies varies in individuals and can
be assessed with the Self Handicapping Scale
-25-item and 14-item short form
-Single or multidimensional construct (ie. excuses and diminished effort)
Document Summary
Self presentation= the process by which individuals attempt to control the impressions others form of them (also called impression management) Maintenance of private self happens entirely at cognitive level (only audience is yourself) Maintenance of public self is always overt behaviour (others are the audience) Interest is only on factor that affect presentation to others. Self-presentation can be used in 3 interrelated and distinct ways: Maximize one"s reward-cost ratio > social and material outcomes. Self esteem enhancement and maintenance > compliments vs criticism. Development of identity > create and maintain a certain identity. 2 discrete processes that operate according to different principles and is affected by previous events: Impression motivation= desire to create a certain impression. Impression construction= impression management tactics that are used to make a certain impression. Motivation to engage in sport (ie. improve physical appearance) Won"t join sport that their physique is under pressure if they think their physique is not good.
