IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT THEORY

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT THEORY

Impression management theory is a process that argued that most people are constantly engaged in controlling how others perceive them, it is a process that is goal oriented, conscious or unconscious effort to influence the perception of other people by regulating information passed during interaction. It is a process called “Self Presentation” as it entails an individual influences the perception of his or her own image.

            Ervin Goffman opined that the individual in face to face situation with others are like actors on a stage performing roles conscious of how they are being perceived by their audience. Actors manage their behaviour so as to create specific impression in the minds of the audience to suit what they need the audience to believe of them.