Essay On Impression Management

Impression Management: Self-Presentation and Embarrassment Connections that we make with other people are largely based on the impressions we give and get of each other. We feel the need to control those impressions and the way we are viewed by those around us. In order to ensure people are seeing exactly what we want them to, we use self-presentation methods. Employing these methods, however, is not a one time, end all be all situation. Once we have exposed ourselves in the manners we choose, we employ Tactical Impression Management systems to continue shaping how we are viewed by those we interact with. The downfall to our self-presentation and management systems is the ultimate factor of embarrassment when our identity meets reality, and they do not fall into alignment. Self-presentation, as defined by DeLamater and Daniels, is all conscious and unconscious attempts by people to control the images of self they project in social interaction. In simpler terms, whether we realize it or not we portray ourselves to others in the specific ways we want to even if it is not necessarily true to who we are. There are three self-presentation methods that we employ in order to control people’s impressions, including: authentic self-presentation, ideal self-presentation and tactical self-presentation (DeLamater & Myers, 2011). Each method has its own purpose or goal. Before we are able to fully grasp the concepts of self-presentation and how it’s used we must understand the goals