Self presentation (impression management)

Question 1

Define self-presentation.

Answer 1

Refers to how people attempt to present themselves to control or shape how others perceive them. It involves expressing oneself and behaving in ways that create a desired impression.

Question 2

What are the three important functions of self-presentation?

Answer 2

It helps facilitate social interaction, enables individuals to attain material and social rewards and helps people privately construct desired identities.

Question 3

Compare self presentation online and face-to-face.

Answer 3

Online: Increased pressure to present positive attributes, sometimes withholding the authentic self. Can misrepresent oneself to gain social rewards.Self promotion occurs more frequently on social media.
Face-to-face: Less likely to share same volume of influence compared to online.
Verbal and non-verbal cues could contradict images online.

Question 4

Define self-concept.

Answer 4

Refers to an individual’s private sense of self, who they are and what makes them so. It contributes to building self-identity which is linked to the perception or belief of how others see them.

Question 5

What three components make up self-concept?

Answer 5

Ideal self (the person you want to be), self-image (how you see yourself, including attributes like physical characteristics, personality traits, and social roles) and self-worth (how much you like, accept, or value yourself).

Question 6

What is the effect of social media on individual’s self?

Answer 6

Increases self-esteem as people present themselves as socially-desireable with a positive self-view to others whe online. This provides a self-esteem boost, but decreases self-control.

Question 7

How is validation of self-concept achieved through social media?

Answer 7

By users carefully crafting their online presence through what they choose to post, reflecting an idealised and romanticised version of themselves and their lives.

Question 8

Define high self-monitors.

Answer 8

People who worry about their image and how they present to others, meaning they change their behaviours based on others around them and have a stronger need to fit in and be accepted.

Question 9

Describe how high self-monitors use social media.

Answer 9

Thy are more likely to engage in the strategic use of social media to validate their self-concept and manage self presentation. They also exhibit less congruence between their underlying attitudes and public behaviour.

Question 10

Define low self-monitors.

Answer 10

They are concerned with being genuine and their authentic self, even if it means deviating from others in a social group or crowd. They are guided by their own beliefs and true feelings in any given social situation.

Question 11

Describe how low self-monitors use social media.

Answer 11

They typically engage with social media less, and refrain from using it as a means of validation and self-presentation. They value congruence between their attitude and behaviour, which is true to their genuineness.

Question 12

What is the relation between impression management and self-presentation?

Answer 12

They are intrinsically linked given our motivation to influence the impression that others have of us.

Question 13

Define impression management.

Answer 13

The process by which people try to control the impressions others form of them, often by engaging in self-presentation strategies

Question 14

Describe the primacy effect.

Answer 14

The primacy effect refers to the phenomenon where information received at the beginning carries more weight than the information that follows. This means that the first impression is generally hard to adapt therefore when the individual is provided with additional information, they tend to be drawn to the information that supports their first impression.

Question 15

Describe the recency effect.

Answer 15

The recency effect refers to the phenomenon where the most recent information received carries more weight than information received prior. This means the most recent information provided about an individual is more influential in impression formation than previous interactions or information.

Question 16

Define a schema.

Answer 16

Refers to our internal template of what we know and what to expect in any given situation. Our schema generally develops and evolves based on direct experience and indirect learning. It informs our thinking, how we interpret information, what we take in and the memories we form, alongside categorising information to enable us to access information quickly.

Question 17

How can schemas contribute to stereotypes and prejudice?

Answer 17

They can compromise the ability to change or adapt an existing schema, therefore influencing behaviour and attitudes based on flawed beliefs and expectations. Stereotypes and prejudice can occur due to generalisations and categorises for groups of people that exist in a current schema.