The Emotional Drivers of Executive Personal Branding: Evidence from Latin America

This study explores the emotional and motivational drivers underlying the construction of digital executive personal branding in Latin America, within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and developed through a phenomenological approach (Moustakas, 1994). Based on 18 in-depth interviews with executives from Peru and Colombia, the research identified two experiential dimensions that shape the management of digital identity: the feelings and motivations that drive the sharing of achievements and the experiences related to social feedback. Findings reveal that executive personal branding in professional networks constitutes a process of emotional self-determination, where the three basic psychological needs —autonomy, competence, and relatedness— are expressed through these two interdependent dimensions. The first reflects the desire to control one’s digital narrative (autonomy), the satisfaction derived from demonstrating mastery and growth (competence), and the pursuit of connection and symbolic recognition (relatedness). The second addresses how validation, frustration, and emotional regulation shape the experience of exposure and self-management in response to metrics and digital judgments. Overall, the study positions digital executive personal branding as an emotional and psychological practice that integrates intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and as a process of symbolic self-determination that fosters emotionally sustainable visibility and enhanced digital well-being.