Impression Management

Description of Impression Management. Explanation.

Definition Impression Management. Description.

Impression Management is a technique of self-presentation based on controlling the perceptions of other people by rapidly expressing favorable aspects of yourself or team. It is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about you (or a team, an object or event) by regulating and controlling information in social interaction.

The method of Impression Management has been developed by Ervin Goffman in his 1959 book “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”.

The author argues that as most social interaction requires immediate judgments, any individual introducing her/himself must focus on quickly providing a positive first impression by highlighting positive facets.

In Goffman's perspective Impression Management has much to do with a drama (a play): the actor, shaped by the environment and target audience, sees interaction as a performance. The objective of the performance is to provide the audience with an impression consistent with the desired goals of the actor. Goffman famously wrote in his book: "All the world is not, of course, a stage, but the crucial ways in which it isn't are not easy to specify."

Comparable to the Johari Window, Goffman distinguishes two different territories of our social behavior:

Frontstage: The set of actions individuals perform according to their fixed function in the society. It allows individuals to show their formal and public profile to those who observe the performance.
Backstage: The set of actions individuals perform "behind the scenes". An informal more relaxed and private zone of each individual. In this territory people don’t want or expect to be judged regarding their fixed function in the society. Backstage we are simultaneously safer and more vulnerable: It is here we change our mental, physical and moral "underwear". Backstage is thus a space for rest and "letting down one's guard", but also a space where one prepares oneself for frontstage performances.

Goffman believes that all our roles depend on the back region of an individual. And all front region roles can be sustained by keeping the audience out of the back region.

His concept is suitable for both individuals (E.g. Charismatic Leadership) and teams. Consider the example of a hotel. The front stage conduct of the team of receptionists has to be formal and aligned with defined rules, service standards and rituals. The same team, behind the scenes, can gather with a different purpose and relax.

In general, impression management theory holds that any individual or organization must establish and maintain impressions that are congruent with the perceptions they want to convey to their public. The idea that perception is reality is the basis for this sociological and social psychology theory, which is framed around the presumption that the other’s perceptions of you or your organization become the reality from which they form ideas and the basis for intended behaviors.

Impression management plays an important role in Advertising and Public Relations. Beyond that, the significance of impression management is that it distorts empirical research methods such as Benchmarking and SERVQUAL and also it influences group processes such as Team Development and Brainstorming.

Impression Management Forum

Quotes on Impression Management. Quotations
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