Perceived efficacy and interpersonal impact of impression management among psychiatric patients.

One hundred hospitalized male psychiatric patients listened to one of four audio tapes on which an interviewed patient revealed his intentions to engage either in healthy or sick self-presentation. The taped patient also reported his psychiatrist to be either in favor of or opposed to early discharge. Subjects predicted longer lengths of hospitalization for the taped patient, and found him to be less interpersonally attractive, when he intended to fake psychopathology. Predicted length of hospitalization was also longer when the taped patient's psychiatrist was reportedly opposed to early discharge.