Self-esteem, ingratiation, and evaluation of unknown others

195 Ss received a self-esteem manipulation (high, low, or control) and then evaluated an unknown other. The instructions indicated whether the other would evaluate the Ss in return (unilateral vs bilateral evaluations) and whether he would see their evaluations of him (public vs private evaluations). Manipulated self-esteem (MSE) was positively related to ratings of the other, and bilateral ratings were more favorable than unilateral ones. However, only the high-MSE Ss made more favorable ratings in the public than in the private condition. Whether evaluations were unilateral or bilateral had no effect on the evaluations of the low-MSE Ss in the public condition.