Impression Management, also sometimes referred to as, “Identity Management” or “Self-Presentation,” is a theory of personal identity employed by sociologists and social psychologists to describe the manner in which individuals both consciously and unconsciously attempt to shape the impressions other people form of them. Thus, Impression Management theory focuses on the ways and means by which individual actors regulate and control the information that they present about themselves in social interactions.

Impression Management theory was first fully articulated by Erving Goffman in his seminal sociological work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959). In this work, Goffman attempts to describe the motivations and processes through which people cultivate, preserve, protect and try to boost their social identities. He highlights two central motives governing self-presentation: the desire to influence others/ gain rewards and the need for personal expression. These motives can be broken down into three specific goals: ingratiation, intimidation and supplication. Ingratiation describes an individual’s efforts to “put their best foot forward,” in social interactions, with the purpose of making people like them. Intimidation is the display of aggression and/or anger, with the purpose of eliciting fear or submission. Supplication explains the ways in which vulnerability and sadness are displayed, in an attempt to elicit sympathy and assistance from others.

Impression management also operates as a means of self-expression. Individuals construct an image of themselves to claim a desired personal identity, and try to present themselves to others in a manner that is congruous with this image. An individual’s Impression Management relies on there being a given definition of a situation, i.e. socially agreed upon expectations within a given context, so that people can model their image presentation appropriately.

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