Excessive Image Concern and Willingness to Incur Personal Cost in the Experience and Perception of Vanity

Vanity has been defined traditionally as excessive pride. We propose that vanity is a negatively viewed social behavior fueled by excessive concern over one's public image, characterized by a willingness to incur personal cost because of this concern. In Study 1, autobiographical accounts of pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSelf and identity Vol. 13; no. 5; pp. 613 - 637
Main Authors Webster, J. Matthew, Hoogland, Charles E., Schurtz, D. Ryan, Smith, Richard H.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hove Routledge 03.09.2014
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Behavior
Identity
Pride
Self image
Self-presentation
Vanity
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Summary:Vanity has been defined traditionally as excessive pride. We propose that vanity is a negatively viewed social behavior fueled by excessive concern over one's public image, characterized by a willingness to incur personal cost because of this concern. In Study 1, autobiographical accounts of personal and witnessed vanity were contrasted with personal accounts of pride and positive self-presentation. Vanity accounts were more characterized by personal cost and negativity than pride and positive self-presentation, and were more related to image concern than the pride. Study 2 used scenario manipulations of the personal cost and reasonableness of a target's cosmetic procedure. Higher cost of and less reasonable motives for the procedure enhanced vanity perceptions in ways distinguishable from hubristic and authentic pride.
ISSN:1529-8868
1529-8876
DOI:10.1080/15298868.2014.892025