SELF-SERVING ATTRIBUTIONS IN SOCIAL-CONTEXT - EFFECTS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL PRESSURE

This study examined the attributions of Ss high (HSEs) and low (LSEs) in self-esteem in contexts where (a) they were low or high in the motivation to make a positive impression on an audience, (b) the audience was perceived as supportive or critical, (c) Ss' accounts were public or private, and (d) Ss had succeeded or failed on a previous task. Overall, Ss displayed pronounced and pervasive egotistical biases, but the social context influenced the magnitude of the bias. HSEs were most egotistical when evaluative pressures were greatest (i.e., they were motivated to make a good impression and had the opportunity to account publicly), whereas LSEs were least egotistical under these conditions. HSEs tended to internalize success by raising their self-ratings, whereas LSEs tended to internalize failure by lowering their self-ratings. In general, a critical audience seemed to activate concerns about the defensibility of attributions, producing more caution and less explicit boastfulness. Factor analysis of subjects' responses suggested that they conceptualized the situation in terms of its implications for evaluating identity.