Managing Impressions
In today's society impressions are everything. We construct an image of ourselves in order to socially fit into given situations. This image may change depending on the environment. Impressions of others are formed by appearance, attitude, age, status, race, gender, and verbal and nonverbal communication.
I commonly use my physical appearance in managing the impressions others form of me. I notice this strategy of impression management whenever I want something. It is very superficial, but physical appearance has a large impact on the way people perceive me.
When going to a job interview, I strategize my clothing, makeup, hairstyle, and shoes in order to increase the chances that I get the job. I want people's first impression of me to be that I am professional, attractive, and put together. I love wearing sweats and having my hair in a bun on the top of my head, but I would never go to a job interview like that.
I worked in a restaurant for three years. When going to work, I would adjust my hair, makeup, and clothing in order to look more attractive. When I looked "pretty" I would earn more tips. I adjusted my appearance in order for customers to have a good impression of me. David Newman uses the back stage and front stage of theatre to describe how people engage in impression management. While working in a restaurant I couldn't have made it through doubles with out having my back stage (kitchen). When on stage (bar or dining room), I would put on a smile, small talk customers, and cater to their every needs. But once I got into the kitchen, I would vent about how obnoxious and rude customers are with the other actors (employees). I managed the impressions customers had of me by using physical appearance, verbal communication, demeanor, and a big white smile. The strategies I engaged in while managing my impression at a restaurant helped me make more money, keep customers happy, and helped the business.
I also think impression management is the way I appeal positive aspects of myself to people to impress them in order to have some benefits from it. I agree that showing good physical appearance of myself is a way to form some good impressions from other people. Like how you do, I also try to dress well to make myself look fine usually and when I have some specific events to attend I try to get dressed appropriately as well. That way I think I can appeal myself very well and people will impress me so that I can have more benefits from it. Anyway, I like your example and I enjoyed reading your entry.
ReplyDeleteI think you expressed your feelings about the importa persona nce of physical appearance. I think your description about persona was great. I like how you used terms from the chapter to describe your experiences in the restaurant. My suggestion would be to go into detail about your front stage and backstage persona and how it differed.
ReplyDeleteVery well done! Expanding on this a bit would make a stronger post; i.e., more akin to the "paper" I've mentioned. But your strong writing and excellent organization, not to mention the clear demonstration of your understanding of the concept, still makes this an exceptional post.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good post, but you focus a lot on the physical aspects of impression management. If you explained more about how you managed your "demeanor" and maybe how you communicated your "work attitude" towards the customers this post may be stronger.
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