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Why Drink Less? Diffidence, Self-Presentation Styles, and Alcohol Use Among University Students

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Abstract

Through the theoretical lens of the self-presentation model, this paper addresses conflicting results from past research on the links between the components of diffidence (i.e., high levels of introversion and loneliness, and low levels of self-esteem) and alcohol use among undergraduate college students (N = 548). Correlational and multiple regression analyses were used to examine whether protective and acquisitive self-presentation expectancies about the effects of alcohol act as suppressing variables in the relationship between diffidence and alcohol use. Results supported the suppression hypothesis. A negative relationship between diffidence and alcohol use was revealed when self-presentation expectancies about the effects of alcohol were controlled statistically. The self-presentation model may provide new theoretical insights into the links between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. Implications for campus-based intervention programs are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Family Studies and Human Development, University of Arizona, USA

    Marcella E. Korn (Graduate Associate)

  2. Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, USA

    Jennifer L. Maggs (Associate Professor)

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  1. Marcella E. Korn
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  2. Jennifer L. Maggs
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Correspondence to Marcella E. Korn.

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Korn, M.E., Maggs, J.L. Why Drink Less? Diffidence, Self-Presentation Styles, and Alcohol Use Among University Students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 33, 201–211 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOYO.0000025319.57979.13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOYO.0000025319.57979.13

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