“First impressions mean everything”, this expression has been imbedded into your mind since childhood. Upon meeting another person, whether intended or not, we are immediately placing our judgement upon them. That judgement is based on our personal beliefs as to how a normal person should act or speak. Over time, this type of judging has built up a social norm to which we compare people in the same demographic or class. A corporate lawyer of the upper class may judge someone differently than a mechanic at a local gas station. In order to live up to these social norms, Athletes, Physicians, Politicians, College instructors, and even parents sometimes feel obligated to change the way they act around others, for fear of being judged harshly. This mask they wear is described in the social theory of Dramaturgy. This theory was adapted from the theatre by Erving Goffman in his book “the presentation of self in everyday life’. People consciously or subconsciously implicate a technique called impression management. Impression management refers to the process by which individuals try to influence the impressions others have of them (Rosenfeld, Giacalone, & …show more content…
Whether it’s appearing strong to yourself or others to uphold your professionalism, or smiling at someone you can’t stand to keep the peace. It all comes down to one thing, wearing a mask to become accepted by your peers. People shouldn’t have to base their personalities and appearance on what the normal Joe is doing, this doesn’t lead to any improvement or change, it’s a stagnant practice. While it is important to be professional in your chosen career, it is just as important to be an individual. Being an individual doesn’t mean rebelling against all social norms, it means showing what it is that makes you. Impression management is useful, if not important for everyday life, but you should never sacrifice what makes