A MOTIVATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR THE EXISTENCE OF PRIVATE SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS DIFFERENCES

ABSTRACT The present article investigates whether there are motivational underpinnings for individual differences in level of private self‐consciousness The findings provide preliminary evidence that there are underlying motivational components of need for self‐knowledge and need for self‐defense In the first two studies, high private self‐conscious individuals (PRSCs) reported placing a higher value on accurate self‐knowledge than did low PRSCs (Study 2), and acted according to that value (Study 1) In Study 3, the pattern of results supported the view that low PRSCs may have a desire to avoid unpleasant self‐knowledge Our tentative conclusion is that high PRSCs may have a need for self‐knowledge that is stronger than their need to protect their self‐esteem, whereas low PRSCs may have a need for self‐defense that outweighs self‐knowledge needs Implications of these findings both for other approaches to self‐consciousness and for a better understanding of the etiology of self‐consciousness are discussed Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved