{"id":540,"date":"2015-11-02T15:31:35","date_gmt":"2015-11-02T15:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/zelixcst110\/?post_type=chapter&p=540"},"modified":"2015-11-02T15:31:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T15:31:35","slug":"self-presentation","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/zelixcst110v2\/chapter\/self-presentation\/","title":{"raw":"Self-Presentation","rendered":"Self-Presentation"},"content":{"raw":"

How we perceive ourselves manifests in how we present ourselves to others. Self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> is the process of strategically concealing or revealing personal information in order to influence others\u2019 perceptions.[footnote]Lauren J. Human et al., \u201cYour Best Self Helps Reveal Your True Self: Positive Self-Presentation Leads to More Accurate Personality Impressions,\u201dSocial Psychological and Personality Sciences<\/em> 3, no. 1 (2012): 23.[\/footnote]<\/span> We engage in this process daily and for different reasons. Although people occasionally intentionally deceive others in the process of self-presentation, in general we try to make a good impression while still remaining authentic. Since self-presentation helps meet our instrumental, relational, and identity needs, we stand to lose quite a bit if we are caught intentionally misrepresenting ourselves. In May of 2012, Yahoo!\u2019s CEO resigned after it became known that he stated on official documents that he had two college degrees when he actually only had one. In a similar incident, a woman who had long served as the dean of admissions for the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology was dismissed from her position after it was learned that she had only attended one year of college and had falsely indicated she had a bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degree.[footnote]Lauren Webber and Melissa Korn, \u201cYahoo\u2019s CEO among Many Notable Resume Flaps,\u201d Wall Street Journal Blogs<\/em>, May 7, 2012, accessed June 9, 2012, http:\/\/blogs.wsj.com\/digits\/2012\/05\/07\/yahoos-ceo-among-many-notable-resume-flaps<\/a>.[\/footnote]<\/span> Such incidents clearly show that although people can get away with such false self-presentation for a while, the eventual consequences of being found out are dire. As communicators, we sometimes engage in more subtle forms of inauthentic self-presentation. For example, a person may state or imply that they know more about a subject or situation than they actually do in order to seem smart or \u201cin the loop.\u201d During a speech, a speaker works on a polished and competent delivery to distract from a lack of substantive content. These cases of strategic self-presentation may not ever be found out, but communicators should still avoid them as they do not live up to the standards of ethical communication.<\/p>\r\n

Consciously and competently engaging in self-presentation can have benefits because we can provide others with a more positive and accurate picture of who we are. People who are skilled at impression management are typically more engaging and confident, which allows others to pick up on more cues from which to form impressions.[footnote]Lauren J. Human et al., \u201cYour Best Self Helps Reveal Your True Self: Positive Self-Presentation Leads to More Accurate Personality Impressions,\u201d Social Psychological and Personality Sciences<\/em> 3, no. 1 (2012): 27.[\/footnote]<\/span> Being a skilled self-presenter draws on many of the practices used by competent communicators, including becoming a higher self-monitor. When self-presentation skills and self-monitoring skills combine, communicators can simultaneously monitor their own expressions, the reaction of others, and the situational and social context.[footnote]John J. Sosik, Bruce J. Avolio, and Dong I. Jung, \u201cBeneath the Mask: Examining the Relationship of Self-Presentation Attributes and Impression Management to Charismatic Leadership,\u201d The Leadership Quarterly<\/em> 13 (2002): 217.[\/footnote]<\/span> Sometimes people get help with their self-presentation. Although most people can\u2019t afford or wouldn\u2019t think of hiring an image consultant, some people have started generously donating their self-presentation expertise to help others. Many people who have been riding the tough job market for a year or more get discouraged and may consider giving up on their job search. Now a project called \u201cStyle Me Hired\u201d has started offering free makeovers to jobless people in order to offer them new motivation and help them make favorable impressions and hopefully get a job offer.[footnote]\u201cStyle Me Hired,\u201d accessed June 6, 2012, http:\/\/www.stylemehired.com<\/a>.[\/footnote]<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_541\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"250\"]\"Photo<\/a> People who have been out of work for a while may have difficulty finding the motivation to engage in the self-presentation behaviors needed to form favorable impressions.[\/caption]\r\n

There are two main types of self-presentation: prosocial and self-serving.[footnote]John J. Sosik, Bruce J. Avolio, and Dong I. Jung, \u201cBeneath the Mask: Examining the Relationship of Self-Presentation Attributes and Impression Management to Charismatic Leadership,\u201dThe Leadership Quarterly<\/em> 13 (2002): 217.[\/footnote]<\/span> Prosocial self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> entails behaviors that present a person as a role model and make a person more likable and attractive. For example, a supervisor may call on her employees to uphold high standards for business ethics, model that behavior in her own actions, and compliment others when they exemplify those standards. Self-serving self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> entails behaviors that present a person as highly skilled, willing to challenge others, and someone not to be messed with. For example, a supervisor may publicly take credit for the accomplishments of others or publicly critique an employee who failed to meet a particular standard. In summary, prosocial strategies are aimed at benefiting others, while self-serving strategies benefit the self at the expense of others.<\/p>\r\n

In general, we strive to present a public image that matches up with our self-concept, but we can also use self-presentation strategies to enhance our self-concept.[footnote]Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice<\/em> (London: Routledge, 2011), 99\u2013100.[\/footnote]\u00a0<\/span>When we present ourselves in order to evoke a positive evaluative response, we are engaging in self-enhancement. In the pursuit of self-enhancement, a person might try to be as appealing as possible in a particular area or with a particular person to gain feedback that will enhance one\u2019s self-esteem. For example, a singer might train and practice for weeks before singing in front of a well-respected vocal coach but not invest as much effort in preparing to sing in front of friends. Although positive feedback from friends is beneficial, positive feedback from an experienced singer could enhance a person\u2019s self-concept. Self-enhancement can be productive and achieved competently, or it can be used inappropriately. Using self-enhancement behaviors just to gain the approval of others or out of self-centeredness may lead people to communicate in ways that are perceived as phony or overbearing and end up making an unfavorable impression.[footnote]John J. Sosik, Bruce J. Avolio, and Dong I. Jung, \u201cBeneath the Mask: Examining the Relationship of Self-Presentation Attributes and Impression Management to Charismatic Leadership,\u201d The Leadership Quarterly<\/em> 13 (2002): 236.[\/footnote]<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n

\u201cGetting Plugged In\u201d<\/h2>\r\n

Self-Presentation Online: Social Media, Digital Trails, and Your Reputation<\/h3>\r\n

Although social networking has long been a way to keep in touch with friends and colleagues, the advent of social media has made the process of making connections and those all-important first impressions much more complex. Just looking at Facebook as an example, we can clearly see that the very acts of constructing a profile, posting status updates, \u201cliking\u201d certain things, and sharing various information via Facebook features and apps is self-presentation.[footnote]Junghyun Kim and Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee, \u201cThe Facebook Paths to Happiness: Effects of the Number of Facebook Friends and Self-Presentation on Subjective Well-Being,\u201d Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking<\/em> 14, no. 6 (2011): 360.[\/footnote]\u00a0<\/span>People also form impressions based on the number of friends we have and the photos and posts that other people tag us in. All this information floating around can be difficult to manage. So how do we manage the impressions we make digitally given that there is a permanent record?<\/p>\r\n

Research shows that people overall engage in positive and honest self-presentation on Facebook.[footnote]Junghyun Kim and Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee, \u201cThe Facebook Paths to Happiness: Effects of the Number of Facebook Friends and Self-Presentation on Subjective Well-Being,\u201d Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking<\/em> 14, no. 6 (2011): 360.[\/footnote]<\/span> Since people know how visible the information they post is, they may choose to only reveal things they think will form favorable impressions. But the mediated nature of Facebook also leads some people to disclose more personal information than they might otherwise in such a public or semipublic forum. These hyperpersonal disclosures run the risk of forming negative impressions based on who sees them. In general, the ease of digital communication, not just on Facebook, has presented new challenges for our self-control and information management. Sending someone a sexually provocative image used to take some effort before the age of digital cameras, but now \u201csexting\u201d an explicit photo only takes a few seconds. So people who would have likely not engaged in such behavior before are more tempted to now, and it is the desire to present oneself as desirable or cool that leads people to send photos they may later regret.[footnote]Natalie DiBlasio, \u201cDemand for Photo-Erasing iPhone App Heats up Sexting Debate,\u201d USA Today<\/em>, May 7, 2012, accessed June 6, 2012,http:\/\/content.usatoday.com\/communities\/ondeadline\/post\/2012\/05\/demand-for-photo-erasing-iphone-app-heats-up-sexting-debate\/1<\/a>.[\/footnote]<\/span> In fact, new technology in the form of apps is trying to give people a little more control over the exchange of digital information. An iPhone app called \u201cSnapchat\u201d allows users to send photos that will only be visible for a few seconds. Although this isn\u2019t a guaranteed safety net, the demand for such apps is increasing, which illustrates the point that we all now leave digital trails of information that can be useful in terms of our self-presentation but can also create new challenges in terms of managing the information floating around from which others may form impressions of us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n\t
  1. What impressions do you want people to form of you based on the information they can see on your Facebook page?<\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Have you ever used social media or the Internet to do \u201cresearch\u201d on a person? What things would you find favorable and unfavorable?<\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Do you have any guidelines you follow regarding what information about yourself you will put online or not? If so, what are they? If not, why?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
    <\/div>","rendered":"

    How we perceive ourselves manifests in how we present ourselves to others. Self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> is the process of strategically concealing or revealing personal information in order to influence others\u2019 perceptions.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> We engage in this process daily and for different reasons. Although people occasionally intentionally deceive others in the process of self-presentation, in general we try to make a good impression while still remaining authentic. Since self-presentation helps meet our instrumental, relational, and identity needs, we stand to lose quite a bit if we are caught intentionally misrepresenting ourselves. In May of 2012, Yahoo!\u2019s CEO resigned after it became known that he stated on official documents that he had two college degrees when he actually only had one. In a similar incident, a woman who had long served as the dean of admissions for the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology was dismissed from her position after it was learned that she had only attended one year of college and had falsely indicated she had a bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degree.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Such incidents clearly show that although people can get away with such false self-presentation for a while, the eventual consequences of being found out are dire. As communicators, we sometimes engage in more subtle forms of inauthentic self-presentation. For example, a person may state or imply that they know more about a subject or situation than they actually do in order to seem smart or \u201cin the loop.\u201d During a speech, a speaker works on a polished and competent delivery to distract from a lack of substantive content. These cases of strategic self-presentation may not ever be found out, but communicators should still avoid them as they do not live up to the standards of ethical communication.<\/p>\n

    Consciously and competently engaging in self-presentation can have benefits because we can provide others with a more positive and accurate picture of who we are. People who are skilled at impression management are typically more engaging and confident, which allows others to pick up on more cues from which to form impressions.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Being a skilled self-presenter draws on many of the practices used by competent communicators, including becoming a higher self-monitor. When self-presentation skills and self-monitoring skills combine, communicators can simultaneously monitor their own expressions, the reaction of others, and the situational and social context.[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Sometimes people get help with their self-presentation. Although most people can\u2019t afford or wouldn\u2019t think of hiring an image consultant, some people have started generously donating their self-presentation expertise to help others. Many people who have been riding the tough job market for a year or more get discouraged and may consider giving up on their job search. Now a project called \u201cStyle Me Hired\u201d has started offering free makeovers to jobless people in order to offer them new motivation and help them make favorable impressions and hopefully get a job offer.[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

    People who have been out of work for a while may have difficulty finding the motivation to engage in the self-presentation behaviors needed to form favorable impressions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    There are two main types of self-presentation: prosocial and self-serving.[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Prosocial self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> entails behaviors that present a person as a role model and make a person more likable and attractive. For example, a supervisor may call on her employees to uphold high standards for business ethics, model that behavior in her own actions, and compliment others when they exemplify those standards. Self-serving self-presentation<\/a><\/span><\/strong> entails behaviors that present a person as highly skilled, willing to challenge others, and someone not to be messed with. For example, a supervisor may publicly take credit for the accomplishments of others or publicly critique an employee who failed to meet a particular standard. In summary, prosocial strategies are aimed at benefiting others, while self-serving strategies benefit the self at the expense of others.<\/p>\n

    In general, we strive to present a public image that matches up with our self-concept, but we can also use self-presentation strategies to enhance our self-concept.[7]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>When we present ourselves in order to evoke a positive evaluative response, we are engaging in self-enhancement. In the pursuit of self-enhancement, a person might try to be as appealing as possible in a particular area or with a particular person to gain feedback that will enhance one\u2019s self-esteem. For example, a singer might train and practice for weeks before singing in front of a well-respected vocal coach but not invest as much effort in preparing to sing in front of friends. Although positive feedback from friends is beneficial, positive feedback from an experienced singer could enhance a person\u2019s self-concept. Self-enhancement can be productive and achieved competently, or it can be used inappropriately. Using self-enhancement behaviors just to gain the approval of others or out of self-centeredness may lead people to communicate in ways that are perceived as phony or overbearing and end up making an unfavorable impression.[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    \u201cGetting Plugged In\u201d<\/h2>\n

    Self-Presentation Online: Social Media, Digital Trails, and Your Reputation<\/h3>\n

    Although social networking has long been a way to keep in touch with friends and colleagues, the advent of social media has made the process of making connections and those all-important first impressions much more complex. Just looking at Facebook as an example, we can clearly see that the very acts of constructing a profile, posting status updates, \u201cliking\u201d certain things, and sharing various information via Facebook features and apps is self-presentation.[9]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>People also form impressions based on the number of friends we have and the photos and posts that other people tag us in. All this information floating around can be difficult to manage. So how do we manage the impressions we make digitally given that there is a permanent record?<\/p>\n

    Research shows that people overall engage in positive and honest self-presentation on Facebook.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Since people know how visible the information they post is, they may choose to only reveal things they think will form favorable impressions. But the mediated nature of Facebook also leads some people to disclose more personal information than they might otherwise in such a public or semipublic forum. These hyperpersonal disclosures run the risk of forming negative impressions based on who sees them. In general, the ease of digital communication, not just on Facebook, has presented new challenges for our self-control and information management. Sending someone a sexually provocative image used to take some effort before the age of digital cameras, but now \u201csexting\u201d an explicit photo only takes a few seconds. So people who would have likely not engaged in such behavior before are more tempted to now, and it is the desire to present oneself as desirable or cool that leads people to send photos they may later regret.[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/span> In fact, new technology in the form of apps is trying to give people a little more control over the exchange of digital information. An iPhone app called \u201cSnapchat\u201d allows users to send photos that will only be visible for a few seconds. Although this isn\u2019t a guaranteed safety net, the demand for such apps is increasing, which illustrates the point that we all now leave digital trails of information that can be useful in terms of our self-presentation but can also create new challenges in terms of managing the information floating around from which others may form impressions of us.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. What impressions do you want people to form of you based on the information they can see on your Facebook page?<\/li>\n
    2. Have you ever used social media or the Internet to do \u201cresearch\u201d on a person? What things would you find favorable and unfavorable?<\/li>\n
    3. Do you have any guidelines you follow regarding what information about yourself you will put online or not? If so, what are they? If not, why?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
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      Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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      CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div>