Lecture 4 - is all the world a stage? the presentation of the self Flashcards
Dramaturgical school
SI - exchange of symbols in interactions
focuses on how the self is “performed” for others
Why dramaturgical
actors on a stage
argued that people put on masks and performances to manage the impressions that others shave of them
Is there a self?
choose to act differently from our identities during social exchanges and … we have to practice identities before fully incorporating them into our senses of self
Ramifications for the self
able to audition different identities
shape whether and how we integrate these identities into a self-concept
the performance of the identity is central to its adoption into the self-concept
Areas of performance
front stage / back stage
Front stage
where we present ourselves to others
Backstage
where we relax impression management and practice our presentations
inaccessible to outsiders
allows people to knowingly violate the appearances they present in front regions
seeing backstage will ruin the performance that has occurred in the front stage
Types of presentation
multiple forms of the presentation of self
one may have an ideal presentation of what we wish we were
the authentic presentation is consistent with who we think we are
we present ourselves as others want or expect us to be
Authentic presentations
self-disclosure - revealing personal aspects of one’s feelings and behavior
self-disclosure tends to lead to greater appreciation from others and can reduce loneliness
disclosure that is too intimate for the depth of the relationship can lead to disliking
Impression management
the ways that individuals seek to control the impressions they convey to other people
tactical impression management because the use of use of conscious, goal-directed activity to control info to influence impressions
Impression
Likable and competent
we may also want to make people fear us, respect us for our morals, or feel sorry for us
Information seeking
we seek info from people in interactions
to help establish expectations for our behaviors and others in the situation
can attempt to manage the info that we provide to others, thereby managing expectations
Appearances
refers to everything about a person that others can observe
include possessions, clothes, physical habits, and non-verbal cues
through appearances, we communicate who we are and the type of actions we intend to pursue
Physical appearances
physical appearances such as clothes and make-up can be used to communicate identities
deviating from common norms can also be sued as a means of communication
Props- can also be used
Ingratiation
attempts to make people like us more through impression management
we are not necessarily always aware that we are utilizing impression management for ingratiation
Conditions for ingratiation
depend on someone else for rewards/benefits and believe that the person will be more likely to bestow these on individuals they like
when the other person has greater discretion in doing out these rewards
Organizational Context
when roles are ambiguous, members of the organization are likely to be unclear on whether they are doing a good job
people are likely to use ingratiation to ensure they are perceived as competent and receive rewards
Status and ingratiation
status also tends to shape the success of ingratiation
people of higher status tend to be less successful than people of equal or lower status
higher-status targets may be more careful due to a suspicion regarding ingratiation motives
Ingratiation tactics
“other focused”
- opinion conformity
- other enhancement
- supplication
other -focused because they are intended to increase another’s person’s likely for the individual
Opinion conformity
when we pretend to share someone’s views on important issues
because people tend to like others who hold opinions similar to their own
to avoid arousing suspicion, one should mix conformity on important issues with disagreement on unimportant issues
Other enhancement
Outfight flattery or complimenting of the target person
effective when targeting areas in which individuals wish to excel but are unsure of themselves
people tend to respond positively to other enhancement due to vanity
- we like to be evaluated positively by others
Playing dumb
Another form of enhancement
when we pretend to be less intelligent or knowledgeable to give someone else a sense of superiority
people tend to play dumb when they hold Lower-status positions in competitive occupations where knowledge is valued
Additional reasons to play dumb
please ignorance or incompetence to avoid acting or taking on a task
one may also do so to avoid responsibility
- used by organizational leaders
supplication
when we convince others we are needy and deserving
separate from ingratiation
seems to be grouped here because it is other-focused and can ultimately result in ingratiation
Selective self-presentation
we present our qualities to increase our likeability to others
try to present our qualities in terms of strengths, virtues, and admirable qualities self-promotion)
-opinion conformity in job interviews may be more effective
Self-deprecation
present our attributes, but make an only humble or modest claims
especially effective when a culture values as honesty and objectivity in self-appraisal
used in moderation or people may form a negative evaluation of us
Computer mediated communication (CMC)
writer and the receiver are physically isolated from each other, so the receiver does not have access to nonverbal cues, which are often less controlled and therefore more revealing
people have more control over presentation of self, especially through control over content and timing of messages
CMC and interactions
this can be an idealized or imagined self
One can have a separate identity on online platforms, or change physical appearances
Additional presentation
present a self that could be produced in the future
E.g., Posting on a dating site 10 lbs. lighter than one actually is
others use MCM as a means of keeping the focus on the self
“I like to be center of attention”
Public figures
how they use social media
these individuals are often already in the public eye
how the self is presented as a means of communicating with a broader public