You are on page 1of 18

Impression Management

Perception of self image & behaviour


Presentation by
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.
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 persons 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.

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 McDowells
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!

You might also like