Relationship between resistance to face presentation and self-consciousness and empathy in video communication

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the psychological characteristics that lead to individual differences in the resistance to video-on in video communication. Specifically, I examined whether public self-consciousness and private self-consciousness, and empathy explain resistance to both face presentation to oneself and others, given that video-on produces two states: one in which one’s face is always visible on the screen (face presentation to oneself) and the other in which one’s face is visible to others (face presentation to others). First, I found that not only the resistance to face presentation to others but also the resistance to face presentation to oneself explained to the resistance to video-on. Second, resistance to face presentation to others was negatively correlated with perspective-taking in the Japanese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and was negatively associated with private self-consciousness in multiple regression analysis. Private self-consciousness has an aspect of focusing on the inner self for positive reasons. Therefore, it is possible that the positive aspect of private self-consciousness decreases resistance to face presentation to others.