Use of the dramaturgical metaphor in the measurement of self-monitoring

Factor analyses of the self-monitoring scale consistently reveal an acting ability factor, which refers to performance in the sense of theatrical entertainment and may have little to do with self-presentation in real-life interactions. A set of social acting items having face validity for ability to modify self-presentation in everyday life is shown to have very little in common with stage acting items of Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale. The results point to the necessity of distinguishing between contingent and noncontingent self-presentation.