©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

Building Image: The Presentation of Self

Chapter 6

NOTE: This is a sample - not the complete set of PowerPoint® Slides for Chapter 6

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

Impression Management

people form impressions of others and manage impressions of themselves at the same time

social group membership (i.e. gender, age, social class, occupation, race and ethnicity) suggests culturally defined expectations of behavior and values

observable characteristics (i.e. appearance, clothing), verbal and non-verbal communication are all taken into account

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in

Everyday Life (1959)

Impression management is the process by which people attempt to present a favorable public image.

Primary goal is to increase likelihood of obtaining favorable outcomes. Examples?

There is still a “core-self” that influences these identity portrayals

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

Goffman and Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is the study of social life as theater. Terms have parallels in theater. Roles - image being projected (or attempted) Audience - people who observe our behavior Script – communication with others Props - objects used to present image

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2004.

Front stage - where appropriate appearance is maintained

Back stage- where preparation for performance is made and where impression management can be relaxed

Performance team- Set of individuals who cooperate in staging a performance that leads an audience to form an impression of one or all team members