Impression ManagementPerception of self image & behaviour

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This leads us to…

Impressions…

What is impression management?

• Impression management refers to the activity of controlling information in order to steer others’ opinions in the service of personal or social goals.

• Impression management (IM) theory states that any individual or organization must establish and maintain impressions that are congruent with the perceptions they want to convey to the public (Erving Goffman, 1959)

• The goal is for one to present themselves the way in which they would like to be thought of by the individual or group they are interacting with. This form of management generally applies to the first impression.

History• Shakespeare wrote, "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women

merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts."

• The sociologist Erving Goffman popularized this idea further, arguing that ordinary people in everyday life work to convey desired impressions to others around them, just as actors on a stage work to present their characters to audiences.

• Of course, given that actors are pretending to be people they are not, this metaphor implies that impression management is intentional and duplicitous.

• While early research reflected this assumption, more recent research has revealed that people engage in impression management even when they are not intentionally trying to do so.

• For example, even if you feel like you can just “be yourself” around close friends and family members, you may find yourself acting quite differently—or presenting a somewhat different version of yourself—around your best friend than around your mother, without really thinking about it.

Other Interpretations…

• According to the psychologist, William James, a man generally shows a different side of himself to different groups he meets. For e.g. he would show one side of himself to his friends while showing another side of him to his kids. He keeps his self- presentation changing depending on what others expect from him.

• Schlenker defined impression management as,‘ the conscious or unconscious attempt to control images that are projected in real or imaginary social interactions. When these images deal with some aspect of self, we call it self-presentation.

• The theory called Symbolic Interactionism, by C.H.Cooley and G.H.Mead, stressed that participants in social interactions try to take the role of the other and see themselves as others see them.

• Yet another theory called Situated Identities proposes that for each social setting there is a pattern of social behavior that conveys an identity particularly appropriate for that setting. All these theories agree that we present ourselves depending on the situation and

other’s perception about us.

Tactics of Impression Management/ Self Presentation

1. Ingratiation: This is a class of strategic behaviors illicitly designed to influence a particular other person concerning the attractiveness of one's personal qualities. The goal of ingratiator is being likeable. This involves complimenting another person or indulging in flattery with certain amount of credibility and honesty. It also involves conforming, another person’s view point. It has been observed that we like people who think or act like us.

2. Intimidation: In this strategy the person arouses fear among others to get the work done. He does not care about being likeable, all he wants is to control others and exercise his powers.

3. Self- promotion: This is a kind of advertising. The self-promoter wants to be seen as competent in certain areas. He may acknowledge minor flaws in his skills while emphasizing stronger points of his personality.

4. Exemplification: In this strategy, the person tries to elicit the impression of moral worthiness and integrity while creating a feeling of guilt among others. When a person says,” I will finish this work even if I fall sick but you go and enjoy.” he is using this strategy.

5. Supplication: In this strategy the person advertises his weaknesses in order to get sympathy. The person portrays himself as helpless to get the help from others.

Although, a person may use all the five tactics on different occasions, some people specialize in one or two tactics. Sometimes they use more than one strategy to influence others. Self-presentation tactics seem to be a matter of selecting certain characteristics and omitting others rather than a deliberate deception. Some people may stick to one tactic for so long that it may become a consistent aspect of their personality.

Components of Impression Management

Impression Motivation• Employees try to control the

perceptions of their superiors about them

• The extent to which an individual is motivated to manage his impression depends on:

a. Relevance of the impression in helping the individual attain his goals

b. Value of the goals to the individualc. Discrepancy between the image the

individual would like to create of himself and the image he believes others have of him

Impression Construction• Refers to the methods

adopted by a person to create the specific impression that he wants

• Research indicates that there are 5 factors that are relevant to the type of impressions people want to create:

a. The Self-conceptb. Desired & Undesired identity imagesc. Role constraintsd. Value of the targete. Current social image

IM Strategies used by employees…

Demotion Preventative Strategy

Promotion Enhancing Strategy

• Used when employees want to minimise their responsibilities for a negative outcome or to remain out of trouble

• Characteristics are:1. Accounts2. Apologies3. Disassociation

• Used when employees want to maximise their responsibility for a positive outcome or improve their image.

• Characteristics are:1. Entitlements2. Enhancements3. Obstacle Disclosures4. Association

Some situations where we use IM…

• Organisations that adopt IM methods- ABG (value driven)

- Tatas (trustworthy, family),- Accenture (High-performance, Delivery)

At a party/ social gathering

At an interview

In our MBA class

At our office/ work space

Some popular case studies of IM…

• Vijay Mallya• Business Tycoon• Impression:

– Successful (constantly in news because of his new acquisitions, brand/ product launches, etc)

– Stylish (always impeccably dressed whether its formal business-dos or casual McDowell’s evening

– Flamboyant – Flaunts the best of suits, shoes, sun-glasses, cars, cigars, Lionel Richie for a private birthday party!

– Socialite – seen with Page 3 and Bollywood as well as international celebrities (like Rolling Stones)

• Technique - Self Promotion, Ingratiation, Intimidating

• Narayan Murthy

• Founder of Infosys, Software Engineer

• Impression

– Simple, Hardworking, Focused man from the South Of India

– Example of ‘dare to dream’, thus being a role model for many Indians

– Dresses in formal but simplistic styled suits/ casuals. Does not indulge in fashion or trends

– Stays away from glamour, Bollywood or any such associations

– Does not talk about his honours/ accolades until asked

– Wife is involved in a lot of social projects

• Technique – Self Promotion/ Exemplification

Further…

• An individual might exhibit such different behavior not only because of his own desire to be viewed somewhat differently by his public, but also because his public (friend, family, colleagues, et) have different expectations or demands regarding what sort of person you should be

• Impression management is not risk-free. Becoming excessively concerned over others’ opinions can cause anxiety, thereby increasing health problems. And engaging in highly deceptive forms of impression management runs the risk that people will see through the act

• Thus, engaging in impression management can help to ensure that social interactions go smoothly

In conclusion…

Therefore, what you see,

is not always what it is!

Thank you!