SELF-PROMOTION AS A RISK FACTOR FOR WOMEN - THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OFCOUNTERSTEREOTYPICAL IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

Three experiments tested and extended recent theory regarding motivati onal influences on impression formation (S. T. Fiske & S. L. Neuberg, 1990; J. L. Hilton & J. hi. Darley, 1991) in the context of an impress ion management dilemma that women face: Self-promotion may be instrume ntal for managing a competent impression, yet women who self-promote m ay suffer social reprisals for violating gender prescriptions to be mo dest. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of perceivers' goals on processes that inhibit stereotypical thinking, and reactions to counte rstereotypical behavior. Experiments 2-3 extended these findings by in cluding male targets. For female targets, self-promotion led to higher competence ratings but incurred social attraction and hireability cos ts unless perceivers were outcome-dependent males. For male targets, s elf-effacement decreased competence and hireability ratings, though it s effects on social attraction were inconsistent.