Inequality up close and (inter)personal: How individuals manage impressions in interpersonal interactions across social status divides

Abstract

How does inequality shape interpersonal interactions? This dissertation investigates individuals’ impression management strategies when interacting with others across social status divides. Chapter 1 reviews the literature, conceptualizing cross-status interactions as social comparisons and setting up hypotheses based on (a) ambivalent status-based stereotypes of warmth and competence and (b) compensation effects (warmth-competence tradeoffs) in impression management. In Chapter 2, Study 1a shows students’ motivation to affiliate with students at both lower- and higher-status universities, by strategically hiding their higher-status identities versus lower-status identities respectively. Study 1b conceptually replicates social compensation in a workplace context, revealing more warmth- versus competence-related traits, given ingratiation versus self-promotion goals respectively. In Chapter 3, Study 2 shows downward comparers downplayed their competence to appear warmer, and upward comparers downplayed their warmth to appear more competent. In status comparisons with counter-stereotypical targets, Studies 3a and 3b showed impression management strategies no longer diverge, but do not reverse, suggesting a mechanism that combines stereotype-disconfirming and target trait-matching goals. Study 4 shows lower-status participants may be matching the target’s stereotyped traits, while higher-status participants may be disconfirming stereotypes about themselves. In Chapter 4, Study 5 shows participants shifted their impression management strategies, and sent a tangible message to an assumed live interaction partner, with high-status participants cooperating more than low-status participants. Together, these studies show that mere status differences shift individuals’ interaction goals and behavior in conveying two central dimensions of impression formation, warmth and competence.