Designing one's authentic identity: Self-proclaimed authentic people report self-presentation agendas to seem authentic to audiences. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hart, William; Kinrade, Charlotte; Lambert, Joshua T.; Garrison, Katie E.
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 201(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Authenticity -- Identity -- Impression management -- Self-presentation; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111941
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: Some theorizing in clinical and social psychology suggests authentic people lack a self-presentational agenda; however, a small amount of evidence has challenged this idea and suggested authentic people have an agenda to appear authentic. The present study tested this suggestion directly. We assessed whether people higher in authenticity ascribe higher functionality to authenticity identities and report intentions to self-present these identities to audiences. In this preregistered study, participants ( N = 364) self-reported their levels of different authenticity facets, intentions to self-present authenticity identities that embody these facets, and the functionality of these authenticity identities, which included beliefs that the identities were desirable, were normative, and can be easily claimed. Participants who reported higher levels of an authenticity facet reported enhanced intentions to self-present an identity most relevant to that facet and rated that identity as more functional. Findings challenge conventional ideas about authenticity but support the idea that authenticity is partly a self-presentational construct.