This article explores the interplay between social thought and social interaction, focusing on the role of targets in identity negotiation. Early research highlighted how perceivers' expectations influence the actions of targets, but overlooked the active role of targets in verifying their self-views. The author argues that targets seek to align perceivers' perceptions with their own self-conceptions, a process known as self-verification. This process involves various strategies, such as selective interaction, displaying identity cues, and adopting interaction strategies to elicit self-confirmatory feedback. Targets also engage in cognitive processes to distort social reality, making perceivers' responses seem more supportive of their self-views. The article discusses the antecedents of self-verification, including self-certainty and the importance of self-conceptions. It also examines the relationship between self-verification and self-concept change, suggesting that enduring changes in self-conceptions occur when people reorganize their self-perceptions and receive supportive feedback from others. The article challenges self-enhancement theory, arguing that people with negative self-views often prefer unfavorable feedback and seek out friends who think poorly of them. Overall, the research suggests that the identity negotiation process is a dynamic and complex interaction between perceivers and targets, influenced by various cognitive and social factors.This article explores the interplay between social thought and social interaction, focusing on the role of targets in identity negotiation. Early research highlighted how perceivers' expectations influence the actions of targets, but overlooked the active role of targets in verifying their self-views. The author argues that targets seek to align perceivers' perceptions with their own self-conceptions, a process known as self-verification. This process involves various strategies, such as selective interaction, displaying identity cues, and adopting interaction strategies to elicit self-confirmatory feedback. Targets also engage in cognitive processes to distort social reality, making perceivers' responses seem more supportive of their self-views. The article discusses the antecedents of self-verification, including self-certainty and the importance of self-conceptions. It also examines the relationship between self-verification and self-concept change, suggesting that enduring changes in self-conceptions occur when people reorganize their self-perceptions and receive supportive feedback from others. The article challenges self-enhancement theory, arguing that people with negative self-views often prefer unfavorable feedback and seek out friends who think poorly of them. Overall, the research suggests that the identity negotiation process is a dynamic and complex interaction between perceivers and targets, influenced by various cognitive and social factors.