Abstract
The feeling experienced when another person seemingly notices something about them that they would rather conceal from others is referred to as a sense of unwanted transparency. Effects of perception of others on one's sense of unwanted transparency were investigated. Participants, after being led to believe that they had performed poorly on an important ability test, interacted with an instructor who was apparently unaware of their poor performance. Participants' perception of the instructor was manipulated by the self-introduction of the instructor, either as a person who perceived the participants' inner selves or as a person who did not. Analysis indicated that participants interacting with an instructor who they believed could perceive their inner selves rated the sense of unwanted transparency higher than those interacting with an instructor who they believed could not perceive their inner selves.
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