It is usually synonymous with self-presentation, if a person tries to influence the perception of their image. It is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. Janus, another possible “prop”, depicted with two heads, exemplifies war and peace.In sociology and social psychology, impression management is the process through which people try to control the impressions other people form of them. This is the reason that attorneys frequently select the hairstyle and apparel for witnesses and defendants in courtroom proceedings. Just imagine the “impression” that can be made by how a person dresses. Those entering the courtroom are expected to adhere to the scene being set. For example, a judge in a courtroom has many “props” to create an impression of fairness, gravity, and control-like her robe and gavel. Impression management is a critical component of symbolic interactionism. In this case, if you view yourself as a guest and others view you as a host, there are likely to be problems. In any scene, there needs to be a shared reality between players. Similarly, your friends are playing the roles of guests, and they are expected to respect your property and any rules you may set forth (“Don’t leave the door open or the cat will get out.”). It is agreed upon that you will provide food and seating and probably be stuck with a lot of the cleanup at the end of the night. If you have a group of friends over to your house for dinner, you are playing the role of a host. What is your front-stage self and your back-stage self?Īs in a play, the setting matters as well. Watch the following video to learn more about Erving Goffmann’s concept of dramaturgical analysis and consider the various roles you play on the different “stages” of your life. Even a single status such as “student” has a complex role-set, or array of roles, attached to it (Merton 1957). One person can be associated with a multitude of roles and statuses. Our roles in life powerfully affect our decisions and help to shape our identities. When there is a deadline at the office but a sick child needs to be picked up from school, which comes first? When you are working toward a promotion but your children want you to come to their school play, which do you choose? Being a college student can conflict with being an employee, being an athlete, or even being a friend. A parent who also has a full-time career can experience role conflict on a daily basis. Similarly, a person can experience role conflict when one or more roles are contradictory. Consider the duties of a parent: cooking, cleaning, driving, problem-solving, acting as a source of moral guidance-the list goes on. If too much is required of a single role, individuals can experience role strain. However, you also play other roles in your life, such as “daughter,” “neighbor,” or “employee.” These various roles are each associated with a different status. Currently, while reading this text, you are playing the role of a student. Roles are patterns of behavior that we recognize in each other, and that are representative of a person’s social status. As a daughter or son, you occupy a different status than as a neighbor or employee.Īs you can imagine, people employ many types of behaviors in day-to-day life. Others, called achieved statuses, are obtained by choice, such as high school dropout, self-made millionaire, or nurse. Some statuses are ascribed-those you do not select, such as son, elderly person, or female. Sociologists use the term status to describe the responsibilities and benefits that a person experiences according to their rank and role in society. This threefold process correlates with Cooley’s 1902 concept of the looking-glass self, in which we develop our sense of self as we: 1) see how others react to us, 2) interpret that reaction (typically as positive or negative) and 3) develop a sense of self based on those interpretations. In our digital age, we can contemplate the kinds of photos posted online, how others react to those photos (“hearts,” “thumbs up,” emojis, comments, etc.), and then how we interpret those reactions. Long before the Internet, sociologists were examining how individuals interact with society and how they present themselves to others and are in turn perceived.
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