Snyder's theory of self-observation or self-monitoring

April 26, 2024

The theory of self-observation by Mark Snyde r , which this author developed together with his famous Self-Observation Scale, tries to explain how the degree to which we adapt our behavior to the social context is related to aspects such as personality or patterns of social interaction.

In this article, we will analyze the main aspects of the theory of self-monitoring and the scale that Snyder created to evaluate this construct. We will also briefly explain the applications of this model in areas such as the psychology of personality, organizations and even anthropology.

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The theory of self-observation or self-monitoring

The social psychologist Mark Snyder proposed in the 70s the concept of self-observation, which frequently also translates literally as "self-monitoring". These terms refer to the degree to which people supervise and control our behavior and the image of ourselves that we project in social situations.

Completing the Self-Observation Scale developed by Snyder himself or similar self-report instruments can give a score relative to the level at which an individual monitors his behavior. Relevant differences have been identified between the group of people with high scores in self-observation and those who have a low level.

In this sense self-observation can be considered a personality trait that would refer to the ability or preference of a person to adapt the behavior to the social context in which it is. It is, therefore, a term very close to that of "spontaneity", although specific to situations of social interaction.

Influence of self-observation on personality

People who score high on self-monitoring tests exercise strong control over their external behavior and the image of themselves that they project socially; more concretely, they adapt to the characteristics of the interaction situation and of the interlocutors . The self-image of these people does not always correspond to their behavior.

Those who closely monitor their behavior tend to conceive of social situations from a pragmatic point of view, giving great importance to objectives such as positive feedback or the transmission of an admirable personal image. Snyder describes this trait as desirable, and in a way it pathologizes the low self-monitoring.

On the other hand, those who have a low level of self-observation seek maintain the coherence between the vision they have of themselves and the one they project to others . Thus, they show consistent social patterns, tend to express their true thoughts and are not constantly worried about how they can be evaluated.

According to Snyder and other authors, people who are low in self-observation tend more to anxiety, depression, anger , to aggressiveness, to low self-esteem, to isolation, to feelings of guilt, to intransigence towards other people or to difficulties in maintaining a job. Many of these aspects would be associated with social rejection.

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The Mark Snyder Self-Observation Scale

In 1974 the Snyder Self-Observation Scale appeared, a self-report instrument that evaluates the degree of self-monitoring. This test originally consisted of 25 items , corresponding with affirmations associated with the facets of self-observation; later the number was reduced to 18 and the psychometric properties improved.

If the original Snyder scale is used, scores between 0 and 8 are considered low, while high scores are between 13 and 25. Intermediate scores (between 9 and 12) would indicate a medium degree of self-observation .

Some examples of items are "I'm not always the person I seem to be", "I laugh more when I'm watching a comedy with other people than if I'm alone" or "I'm rarely the center of attention in groups". These phrases must be answered as true or false; some of them score positively, while others do it negatively.

Different factor analyzes that were carried out in the 1980s, when the Snyder Scale was especially popular, suggested that self-observation would not be a unitary construct, but would be composed of three independent factors: extraversion, orientation towards others and the degree to which social roles are played or represented.

Applications and findings of this psychological model

One of the most common applications of Snyder's theory of self-observation has taken place in the field of work psychology or organizations. Although initially it was tried to defend that people high in self-monitoring are better at a professional level , the review of the available literature makes it difficult to sustain this claim.

Studies reveal that those who obtain high scores on the Snyder Scale tend to have more sexual partners (especially without a particular emotional bond), to be infidels more frequently and to prioritize sexual attractiveness. On the other hand, for people who are low in self-monitoring, personality is usually more important.

There is another interesting finding that derives from Snyder's theory and scale and relates to anthropology. According to a study by Gudykunst et al. (1989), the level of self-monitoring depends partly on culture; well, while individualistic societies favor high levels , in the collectivists the opposite happens.

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Bibliographic references:

Gudykunst, W.B., Gao, G., Nishida, T., Bond, M.H., Leung, K. & Wang, G. (1989). A Cross-cultural Comparison Of Self-monitoring. Communication Research Reports, 6 (1): 7-12.