Publicly Committing Oneself to an Identity

Abstract

This experiment showed that when 51 undergraduates performed 2 opposite videotaped self-presentations, the self-presentation to be viewed later by an audience had a greater impact on the participants' self-concepts. This self-concept change was linked to anticipated feedback from the audience and to how identifiable participants felt during the self-presentation to be viewed by that audience. Moreover, it was evidenced by participants' subsequent behavioral changes when they were unaware of being observed. The findings demonstrate that publicly committing oneself to an identity, as compared to engaging in self-perceptual processes, can play an even more central role in the internalization of one's self-presentations.