Impression-Management

Impression Management (IM) is the conscious or unconscious control of the impression, make the person or entity to another. Impression management is increasingly being used as a concept of public relations. Impression management can create or modify image as a plan of action. In the German social psychological literature is synonymous with the concept of self-expression in the art.

Term

The Impression management theory - an explanation concept of social psychology, on the the Public Relations looking with growing interest - is value-neutral assumption that people continually seek to control the impression they make on others, and control: " Impression management Refers To Those strategies and techniques did individuals use to control the images and impressions did others form of them falling on social interaction ."

That is, Impression management is a behavior that in everyday communication, but also for the public work of organizations - play an important role - especially for the image formation.

History

One of the first and most influential scientist who has studied the purposeful nature of human communication, Erving Goffman is. Goffman uses in his programmatic book, " We all play theater " human social behavior in close relation to sham and roll world of theater. He is here similar to the proponent of the theory of symbolic interactionism assumes that people in social interactions must first analyze information ( speech contents, clothes, face, voice, hairstyle, status symbols, reputation, expertise ) about their interaction partners, to then an impression form. This in turn depends strongly on their own attitudes, feelings, and clichéd imagery. The image that we develop from other people has so much to do with our own reality expectations. The management of the impression with this is that information transmission targeted to manipulate: We play to our environment deliberately social roles. At the center of impression management is therefore of strategic and tactical use of self- presentation: The "self" is understood as the image that passes through a person by their social audience provides information that leads to a desired cognitive representation. The most plastic example is the use of photographs: Many people destroy untreffliche photos of themselves, while indicating successful recordings as realistic.

Thus, they act according to the basic principle of Impression Management: We select specific information, which we expect positive effects ( status icons, social contacts, hobbies, styles, etc. ) and make them available for the whole dar. Here we anticipate potential reactions and expectations of the audience. Our image of the other is highly dependent on our own expectations. Impression management techniques aimed at short-or long -term impact. You can wear assertive or defensive character. On this classic scale, many individual techniques of systematic impression management can be classified, described and analyzed in detail for example in Michael White Main

Examples

A classic situation, are used in impression management techniques is the job interview the calculated choice of clothing, the appearance, the conversation content that will be presented to the opponent, as well as the style of occurrence are used here as a means of impression management. Even before a job interview application photos are used as another classic IM tool. However, is explicitly mentioned, is that both - so candidates as HR - Impression Management operate; so the adjustment end tries alike, to present the new job and the company in a certain light.

Originally studied in the U.S., IM is also in Germany a subject of social psychology, because it can achieve as -calculated concept of self-expression image forming or image -changing effects.

Strategies and techniques

There is a wealth of ( long-term ) strategies and ( short-term ) techniques of impression management. They are ( offensively in terms of their own initiative ) in assertive and defensive divided. The first attempt to build a certain image, the latter to avoid damage to their image and serve the defense. As one of the assertive strategies applies, for example, the ingratiation ( ingratiate himself, endearing ). Defensively, about the self- handicapping, be prepared for the external declarations for possible failures. Those who do not are, for example, in an examination his best to push eventual failure of it.