Self-Monitoring and Women's Self-Presentational Reactions to Variations in Sex of the Exercise Class Instructor and Co-Exercisers

Abstract

Women's self-monitoring orientation was investigated as a moderator of self-presentational efficacy (SPE) and social physique anxiety (SPA) reactions to variations in sex of instructors and co-exercisers in exercise class settings. High (n = 30) and low (n = 49) self-monitors reported SPA and SPE after imagining participation in exercise classes in which sex of the co-exercisers and the instructor varied. For low self-monitors only, SPA was higher in conditions with mixed-sex co-exercisers (p < .05, ηp2 = .10) and men instructors (p = .001, ηp2 = .21). High self-monitors reported higher SPE than low self-monitors, and SPE varied by condition. Women's SPA reactions to exercise environments depend on self-monitoring orientation, which should be considered in research on self-presentational concerns in exercise.