In Public Appearances, Private Realities, Psychologist Mark Snyder presents an impartial analysis of high and low self-monitors. High self-monitors adjust their behavior to achieve a certain practical outcome, while low self-monitors behave according to their inner feelings, heedless of their surroundings.
High Self-Monitoring and Situationism
High self-monitors adapt their behavior to fit the particular situation and need cues from their environment to act accordingly. They also devote a lot of energy to displaying and improving their skills, and will even choose friends according to the skills they possess. For instance, they will select a good tennis player to help them improve their own game. Another friend may be chosen for his or her knowledge of politics, while yet another is chosen because of physical appearance—this will enhance the appearance of the high self-monitor by association.
Every decision is made to benefit the outer image of self. Thus the self is continually outer-directed, looking for clues to accurately form and reform itself anew, to project the desired image. The downside is that people who are high self-monitors tend to compartmentalize everything and everyone. They act like who they think they are supposed to be in each situation, mimicking others if need be, in order to help social situations flow smoothly. Even at the expense of honesty, their goal is to portray a likable image.
Low Self-Monitoring and Trait Theory
The low self-monitors are inner-directed; their cues comes from their traits, or the concept of a "true self" that has certain ideas and behaviors that are habitual and stable. They also value honesty about inner feelings rather than acted-out emotions for the benefit of social interaction. Whereas high self-monitors, who have no center, possess many selves that they project during different occasions, low self-monitors will not create images of themselves agreeable to the present social situation if it betrays their true inner feelings.
Low self-monitors choose their friends based on similarities in ideas, feelings and behaviors; a felt connection draws low self-monitors to their friends, not the desire to be associated with people who have skills that can benefit their public image, or help them, through mimicry, create another archived "self" to use when needed. The friends of low self-monitors are invited to all activities, even those they are not good at, because low self-monitors enjoy the genuine emotional, psychological and spiritual connection shared with friends, not their practical usefulness.
Counterintuitive Research Findings
Initially, low self-monitors may seem more true, honest or intelligent than high self-monitors, but this is not necessarily the case. Snyder turns the assumption of low self-monitoring "depth" and high self-monitoring "shallowness" on its head. Through his research, he finds not only are high self-monitors not necessarily shallow, but they seem to be more aware of subtle body language and social nuances than their low self-monitoring counterparts. Plus, high self-monitors can actually reveal their true feelings about topics if the situation prompts them to do so. Honesty, however, is secondary to their desire to be socially adept and non-offensive.
Snyder, Mark. Public Appearances, Private Realities: The psychology of self-monitoring. New York: W. H. Freeman Company, 1987. Print.
See Also:
Advantages & Disadvantages of High & Low Self-Monitoring - Snyder
Sabrina Dawkins - Sabrina Dawkins received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Appalachian State University and her Master of Arts in Sociology from ...
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