Impression Management Discussion

Impression management

Impression management is the idea that people change their behavior in order to give cues to others about how they want others to see them.  This happens all the time in our social world- when we meet new people, when we want to make a good impression on a first date or job interview, or when we want to get people to do what we want!

For this activity, observe someone doing impression management.  This works well when you observe someone in a public space, especially a service position.  Use the activity sheet below to take notes on how they are doing front-stage and back-stage behavior.