Self-Presentation and Language Abstraction in Recruitment Context

Abstract

The present research explicates how job applicants employ language abstraction to present themselves as a good or bad candidate. According to the LIB theory (Maass, Salvi, Arcuri, & Semin, 1989), we tested the hypothesis that, with positive instruction (i.e., to be recruited), participants’ responses would be more abstract with positive items and more concrete with negative items. Conversely, we expected that participants’ responses would be more concrete with positive items and more abstract with negative ones when the instruction was negative (i.e., to not be recruited). Results of this experiment (N = 85 French participants) confirm our hypothesis and revealed a strong interaction effect between level of language abstraction and goal of self-presentation. Implications for linguistic bias effect and normative behavior in the interpersonal context of recruitment are discussed.