Name: Isabella Bossom
Area of Study: Personality/Social
In what program are you currently enrolled? MA
What year of the program are you currently in? 2
Citation in APA format:
Bossom, I. R. L. & Zelenski, J. M. (2022). The impact of trait introversion-extraversion and identity on state authenticity: Debating the benefits of extraversion. The Journal of Research in Personality, 97, 104308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104208
Plain language abstract:
Research suggests that introverts feel more authentic when acting extraverted. We explored this effect by assessing both trait and social identities as introverts or extraverts and in a context that involved arguing directly for or against the value of extraversion. Students (Study 1: N = 310, Study 2 direct replication: N = 407) were randomly assigned to pro or con sides in a debate task and then reported their state authenticity and affect. This allowed us to infer whether debating congruently or incongruently with one’s trait or identity predicted authenticity. In contrast to past extraverted behavior manipulations, results suggested interactions between individual differences (trait, identity) and condition on authenticity. The pattern suggested that counter-dispositional and counter-identity debating decreased authenticity, though with some variation in strength across studies. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the importance of trait-related identities and suggest limits to the benefits of counter-dispositional extraverted behaviors.
How did the idea for this research come about?
I was fascinated by the finding that introverts feel more authentic when behaving in extraverted ways. I wanted to test this effect and determine whether behaving in extraverted ways always made people feel authentic. I thought that perhaps some people might have beliefs about their “introvertedness” or “extravertedness” that might also impact how authentic they feel. Specifically, I thought that people could have varying levels of strength of “introvertedness” or “extravertedness” as a part of their identity. Using an adapted version of an online debate task that was developed in Dr. Zelenski’s lab, and published by Smallenbroek et al. (2017), I assessed how debating for or against the benefits of extraversion would influence state authenticity for those strongly (versus weakly) identified with their “introvertedness” or “extravertedness” and based on trait extraversion levels.
How did you collect the data for this project?
Both studies were conducted using participants from Carleton’s SONA system pool.
Was the journal you published in the first journal you submitted this paper to?
No
Why did you choose this journal?
After being rejected from the first journal we applied to, we chose the Journal of Research in Personality because they publish all kinds of personality research and in recent years had been publishing papers assessing authenticity.
How many other journals did you submit this paper to before it landed in the journal that eventually published your work?
1
What was your revision experience?
The revision experience was much better than I had anticipated! The reviewers requested we improve some of our phrasing throughout the document and had questions about our statistical choices. The most challenging part of the revision process for me was how to politely respond to reviewers while disagreeing with some of their comments. I am very grateful for Dr. Zelenski’s assistance with the response letter as it felt daunting to tell a reviewer that we disagreed with their suggestion. Overall, the revision experience was very positive and I look forward to learn more about the world of publishing/reviewing.
How many rounds of revision did you experience?
1
Did you need to collect new data to satisfy a reviewer?
No
How long did it take from first submission to acceptance?
4 months
Was this paper conducted as part of your MA thesis?
No
Was this paper conducted as part of your PhD dissertation?
No
How did this project come about?
Study 1 of this paper was conducted for my BA honours thesis and Study 2 was the pre-registered direct replication Dr. Zelenski and I conducted during the first year of my MA.
Was this research conducted with your supervisor?
Yes, this research was conducted with my BA honours thesis supervisor, Dr. John Zelenski
Was this research conducted with fellow graduate students in our program?
No
Was this research conducted with researchers external to Carleton?
No
You can access the article here.