Microsoft Word Chapter 1 done doc

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basic cognitive processes relating to the storage, recall, and 
integrating of social information, play a role in it. 
 
6.6 IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT : 
 
Impression Management is also called as self-presentation. 
It can be defined as our efforts to produce favorable impressions on 
others. Impression Management is a skillful activity. Research 
studies (Schlenker 1980, Wayne and Liden, 1995) have 
demonstrated that people who can perform impression 
management successfully often gain important advantages in many 
situations such as getting their work done, job promotions, 
increased popularity ratings, etc. 
Impression Management: Some Basic Tactics: The two broad 
tactics of impression management are as follows: 
a) Self-enhancement: 
It can be defined as efforts to boost our 
own self-image. There are many tactics of self-enhancement. One 
important tactic of self-enhancement is to improve our appearance. 
This can done in following ways:  
• Changes in dress. 
• Personal grooming (use of cosmetic, hairstyle, use of 
perfume).  
• Use of various props (such as eye glasses).  
• Judicious use of nonverbal cues. 
Some additional tactics of self-enhancement includes: 
i) Efforts to describe one in positive terms,
ii) Explaining how they overcame difficult obstacles, and
iii) How they faced certain challenges, which are not 
common, etc. 
Research studies indicate that all the above techniques work 
under some or other conditions. Brief summaries of some research 
studies using self-enhancement as an impression management 
technique are as follows: 
• Women who dress in a professional manner (business suit or 
dress, subdued jewellry) are often evaluated more favorable for 
management positions than women who dress in a more 
traditionally feminine manner (Forsythe, Drake, and Cox, 1985). 

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• It has also been found that eyeglasses encourage impression of 
intelligence, while long hair for women or beards for men tend to 
reduce such impression (Terry and Krantz, 1993). 
• Wearing perfume or cologne can enhance first impression 
provided this particular grooming aid is not overdone (Baron, 
1983). 
 
Most of these efforts to improve personal appearance are 
not potentially dangerous to the persons who use them. However, 
one types of effort to enhance personal appearance ---- developing 
a suntan ---- is potentially harmful (Broadstok Borland and Gason, 
1991). Other tactics of self-enhancement pose different kinds of 
risks. For instance, recent research by Sharp and Getz (1996) 
indicates that one reason why at least some young people 
consume alcohol is that it gives them the right “image.” In other 
words, they engage in such behaviour partly for purpose of 
impression management. Research finding (Sharp and Getz, 1996) 
offer support for the view that some people do drink alcohol as a 
tactic of impression management to help look good in the eyes of 
others.