Impression management

Impression management is the process of influencing how others perceive a person through self-presentation, behavior, and communication.

Self-presentation: The process of presenting oneself to others through appearance, communication, and behavior. Impression management is enacted through choices about what aspects of the self to display.
Social interaction: The reciprocal exchange of actions and meanings between people. Impression management occurs within interaction, where others can observe and interpret conduct.
Personal branding: The deliberate shaping of a recognizable public identity around a person and their perceived value. It applies impression-management tactics to a sustained professional image.
Erving Goffman: A Canadian-American sociologist known for analyzing everyday interaction and social life as performance. His work established a durable framework for understanding impression management in face-to-face life.
Authenticity (sociology): The perceived quality of being genuine and consistent with one's identity or values. Impression management can support authenticity or appear to conflict with it.
Dramaturgy (sociology): A sociological perspective that analyzes social interaction through the metaphor of theatrical performance. It explains how people adjust performances to audiences and settings.
Social identity: The part of a person's self-concept derived from membership in social groups. Group memberships shape which identities people present in particular settings.
Online identity: The identity a person constructs and expresses through digital platforms and interactions. Profiles, posts, and selective disclosure let people manage impressions across digital audiences.
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Erving Goffman's 1956 book analyzing social interaction through theatrical performance. This book introduced the dramaturgical account most closely associated with the concept.
Emotional labor: The management of feelings and emotional displays as part of paid work. It is a specific workplace demand involving managed expressions, not all self-presentation.

Linked from 17 pages