Self-Presentation of Romantic Relationships: Audience, Attachment, and the Self-Presentation of Relationship Intimacy
Individuals' self-concepts are inextricably entwined with their relationships [Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000). Psychological Bulletin, 126, 844–872], and thus it stands to reason that information about close relationships will figure prominently
in individuals' self-presentational efforts. Yet, little is known about how individuals present their relationship. We examined whether individuals present information about their relationship differently as a function of both the target audience and the individuals' attachment style. Findings
revealed that when individuals expected to interact with a romantic couple (vs. two control conditions) those high in attachment anxiety engaged in greater self-presentational efforts. Implications for understanding how relationship information is self-presented, as well as the goals of individuals
with different attachment styles are discussed.
Keywords: Attachment anxiety; Attachment style; Romantic relationships; Self-presentation
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY,13244, USA 2: Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN,47907-2081, USA
Publication date: 04 July 2015
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