Self-Serving Interpretations of Motives

Abstract

Actor-subjects performed a helpful act and later received an interpersonal evaluation that attributed either more positive motives than they originally attributed to themselves, less positive motives, or the same balance of positive and negative motives. As predicted, actors initially attributed their helpfulness primarily to positive motives (e.g., to aid the other) rather than nonpositive motives (e.g., to create a good impression), whereas observer-subjects believed positive and nonpositive motives were equally likely reasons for the conduct. Subsequent reassessments of motives were not influenced b the evaluator's feedback. However, actors sharply denigrated the validity of an evaluation that assigned them less positive motives whereas they regarded more positive and same evaluations as highly valid. Observers, in contrast, regarded all evaluations as valid to an intermediate degree. The results support the view that actors will attempt to construct and protect desired images of self through their interpretations of their motives.