Abstract
The labour market is an ever-competitive landscape, and Self-presentation tactics are behaviours that help workers present themselves as more desirable to their work audiences. Self-presentation tactics may be of a deceitful nature or an honest nature. However, it is empirical to note that assessing the motivation behind the chosen behaviour requires past knowledge of the actor's behaviour so as to understand the patterns of their chosen acts. The current study adopted a quantitative research approach aimed at understanding the role of personality in the utilisation of self-presentation tactics. A working South African sample of 305 participants was assessed through the South African Personality Inventory and the Self-presentation scale, but only 262 were found to meet the inclusion criteria of the current study. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were utilised to analyse the results of the chosen sample, and the results suggested that personality was found to explain some of the variances found in the use of self-presentation tactics. Additionally, Negative social-relational disposition was found to be the largest explainer of the variance found in both the defensive self-presentation tactics and the assertive self-presentation tactics. Finally, Neuroticism was found to explain some of the variance found in the defensive self-presentation tactics. That said, the role that personality has on self-presentation tactics makes it possible for managers to link more consistent human attributes, such as personality traits, to self-presentation tactics that may not be as easy to define.
Keywords: Personality, South African Personality Inventory, Self-Presentation Tactics, Impression Management