The effects of impression management demands on heart rate, self-reported social anxiety, and social competence in undergraduate males

Urban–Rural Comparison of the Association between Unsupportive Relationships, Perceived Stress, Authentic Self-Presentation, and Loneliness among Young Adults in Taiwan

This study examined and compared how unsupportive relationships, perceived stress, and authentic self-presentation influence loneliness and what differences exist between these relationships across urban and rural young adults in Taiwan. In total, 356 young adults (188 urban and 168 rural) were investigated, and partial least squares structural equation modelling was used in this study. The results indicated that authentic self-presentation directly and negatively affects loneliness in the urban group, but only indirectly affects loneliness in the rural group through unsupportive relationships and perceived stress. Unsupportive relationships and perceived stress in both the urban and rural groups positively affect their loneliness. In addition, multiple group analysis revealed that significant differences only existed between the effects of authentic self-presentation on unsupportive relationships between urban and rural young adults.

Neural correlates of self-deception and impression-management

Self-deception and impression-management comprise two types of deceptive, but generally socially acceptable behaviours, which are common in everyday life as well as being present in a number of psychiatric disorders. We sought to establish and dissociate the 'normal' brain substrates of self-deception and impression-management. Twenty healthy participants underwent fMRI scanning at 3T whilst completing the 'Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding' test under two conditions: 'fake good', giving the most desirable impression possible and 'fake bad' giving an undesirable impression. Impression-management scores were more malleable to manipulation via 'faking' than self-deception scores. Response times to self-deception questions and 'fake bad' instructions were significantly longer than to impression-management questions and 'fake good' instructions respectively. Self-deception and impression-management manipulation and 'faking bad' were associated with activation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC). Impression-management manipulation was additionally associated with activation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left posterior middle temporal gyrus. 'Faking bad' was additionally associated with activation of right vlPFC, left temporo-parietal junction and right cerebellum. There were no supra-threshold activations associated with 'faking good'. Our neuroimaging data suggest that manipulating self-deception and impression-management and more specifically 'faking bad' engages a common network comprising mPFC and left vlPFC. Shorter response times and lack of dissociable neural activations suggests that 'faking good', particularly when it comes to impression-management, may be our most practiced 'default' mode.

What determines observer-rated social performance in individuals with social anxiety disorder?

Clark and Wells (1995) proposed that cognitive variables and safety behaviors are related to social performance in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Here, we tested this relationship by concurrent assessment of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological variables and social performance in a prototypical social interaction situation. 103 participants with SAD and 23 healthy controls interacted with a confederate. Anxiety, self-focused attention, cognitions, and safety behaviors were assessed by self-report and by confederate ratings. Social performance was evaluated by independent observers using a behavioral coding system. Social performance was predicted using two regression models for self-report and confederate ratings. Between-group differences in social performance disappeared when talking time was taken into account. Talking time emerged as the most powerful predictor of social performance (54% and 58% accounted variance). Positive cognitions, self-focused attention and safety behaviors accounted for an additional, but marginal amount of variance. Reduced talking time might represent a safety behavior and may be considered an easy to measure final common behavioral outcome of cognitive processes underlying social anxiety.

The interpersonal expression of perfection: perfectionistic self-presentation and psychological distress

A concept involving the interpersonal expression of perfection, perfectionistic self-presentation, is introduced. It is argued that perfectionistic self-presentation is a maladaptive self-presentational style composed of three facets: perfectionistic self-promotion (i.e., proclaiming and displaying one's perfection), nondisplay of imperfection (i.e., concealing and avoiding behavioral demonstrations of one's imperfection), and nondisclosure of imperfection (i.e., evading and avoiding verbal admissions of one's imperfection). Several studies involving diverse samples demonstrate that perfectionistic self-presentation is a valid and reliable construct and a consistent factor in personal and interpersonal psychological distress. It is argued that the need to promote one's perfection or the desire to conceal one's imperfection involves self-esteem regulation in the interpersonal context.