A Self-Presentation Interpretation of the Seeking of Social Approval

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Abstract
A study was conducted to demonstrate the idea that individuals seek social approval because of the material rewards contingent upon approval and not because approval is inherently valuable. It was predicted that individuals would seek either social approval or social disapproval as a function of the particular material reward contingencies. Subjects were presented with a personnel manager who either hired individuals he liked or individuals he disliked. They completed a set of employment tests on which it was possible to make responses that would engender either the approval or disapproval of the personnel manager. As predicted, subjects responded to the tests so as to obtain the job even when this involved creating disapproval. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for explanations of social behavior.

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