Effects of the self-presentation of a common trait in a multiple audience situation on intrapersonal and interpersonal adaptation

Abstract

This study examined the effects of the self-presentation of a common trait in a multiple audience situation on intrapersonal and interpersonal adaptation. In this experiment, 76 participants were asked to make speeches. We manipulated the presence/absence of multiple audiences and the number of common traits presented, and then calculated the changes in the participants’ state self-esteem (intrapersonal adaptation). Furthermore, 5 raters watched videos of the participants’ speeches and rated their impressions of the participants (interpersonal adaptation). The results showed that compared with the other conditions, in the multiple audience conditions in which a common trait could not be presented the changes in the participants’ state self-esteem were significantly smaller, and the participants were evaluated more negatively by the raters. In contrast, in the multiple audience conditions in which a common trait could be presented, neither the changes in state self-esteem nor the raters’ evaluations differed from those seen in the control conditions. The effects of the self-presentation of a common trait as a solution to the multiple audience problem are discussed.