ACCURACY AND BIAS IN SELF-PERCEPTION - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN SELF-ENHANCEMENT AND THE ROLE OF NARCISSISM

Accuracy and bias in self-perceptions of performance were studied in a managerial group-discussion task. Ss ranked their own performance and were ranked by the 5 other group members and by 11 assessment staff m embers. Although the self-perceptions showed convergent validity with the staff criterion, Ss were less accurate when judging themselves tha n when judging their peers. On average, Ss evaluated their performance slightly more positively than their performance was evaluated by eith er the peers or the staff however, this general self-enhancement effec t was dwarfed by substantial individual differences, which ranged from self-enhancement to self-diminishment bias and were strongly related to four measures of narcissism. Discussion focuses on issues in assess ing the accuracy of self-perceptions and the implications of the findi ngs for individual differences in self-perception bias and the role of narcissism.