Self‐Monitoring in Social Interaction: The Centrality of Self‐Affect

Abstract

In this review, we examine the role of self-monitoring in social interaction. We first note that the presumed ease with which self-monitors adapt to new social contexts is more apparent than real, being the self-conscious outcome of (1) high self-monitors' preference for clearly defined situations, (2) their use of scripts regarding typical situations, (3) their ability to formulate effective plans of action before social encounters, and (4) their ability to use other people's behavior as a guide. We then examine the strong motive of high self-monitors to express and evoke high levels of positive affect in their interpersonal relationships. Two recent unstructured dyadic interaction studies lead us to argue that the primary concern of high self-monitors during social interaction is to regulate their own self-affect through effective impression management. In this sense, it really is the self that is closely monitored whenever self-monitoring processes influence social interaction.

Network Churn: The Effects of Self-Monitoring Personality on Brokerage Dynamics

“…The expectation that high self-monitors will be more capable of gaining the friendship of others is consistent with previous work suggesting that they expend considerable effort in providing emotional help (e.g., Toegel, Anand, and Kilduff, 2007) and advice (Flynn et al, 2006) to their colleagues. High self-monitors put considerable effort into using a wide repertoire of social skills to make their interpersonal interactions go smoothly (Ickes et al, 2006). In conversation, they are more likely to use the fi rst-person plural pronouns (e.g., we, us, our) over the fi rst-person singular (e.g., I, me, mine) (Ickes, Reidhead, and Patterson, 1985), convey an immediate sense of intimacy (Riggio, Friedman, and DiMatteo, 1981), and employ effective conversational pacing (Dabbs et al, 1980) and humor (Turner, 1980).…”

A Moderated Mediation Model of Personality, Self-Monitoring, and OCB

“…Our findings are also consistent with socioanalytic theory (Hogan & Shelton, 1998), which argues that social skill is an important moderator of the relationship between identity and reputation. Although interpersonal skill and self-monitoring are two distinct constructs, past research has found that high self-monitors tend to be more socially astute relative to those who are low in self-monitoring (Ickes, Holloway, Stinson, & Hoodenpyle, 2006). Taken as a whole, these findings illustrate the need for further examinations into moderators of the relationship between identity and reputation and their impact on ratings of job performance.…”

Brokering Trust to Enhance Leadership: A Self-Monitoring Approach to Leadership Emergence

“…From our research, we show that high self-monitors, relative to low selfmonitors, are more central in the provision of advice to colleagues. As prior work has suggested (Ickes, Holloway, Stinson, & Hoodenpyle, 2006), high self-monitors work hard to ensure that social interactions are successful. In the present research this hard work involves being active in helping others with work-related matters.…”

“…High self-monitors are concerned to project positive images of themselves and to suppress information that might trigger negative inferences (Gangestad & Snyder, 2000). High self-monitors are also motivated to produce social interactions that are successful (Ickes et al, 2006) and that promote social status (Flynn et al, 2006). By contrast, low self-monitors generate expressive behavior from inner affective states and attitudes (Snyder, 1979) and pay less attention to impression management (Turnley & Bolino, 2001).…”

“…By contrast, low self-monitors generate expressive behavior from inner affective states and attitudes (Snyder, 1979) and pay less attention to impression management (Turnley & Bolino, 2001). Low self-monitors may be strongly motivated to produce social interactions that reflect their genuine underlying values (Ickes et al, 2006). Thus, future research could investigate whether high self-monitors tend to build trusting relationships on the basis of diplomatic impression management, whereas low self-monitors tend to build such relationships on the basis of a match between strongly held values.…”