Self-Esteem and Impression ManagementEssay Preview: Self-Esteem and Impression ManagementReport this essaySelf-Esteem and Impression ManagementHave you ever been told that you act like one of your peers or family members? Has there been a time when you were at work and thought someone elses behavior affects your mood or behavior? How about feeling like you can tell what someone is thinking by their facial impressions? What about that person who gets there mind set on something and nothing can change it? In the readings below I will discuss impression management and give four personal illustrated examples of impression management. I will also be looking at the measures that can be taken when using non-verbal communication to improve self-presentation, impression management, attribution inferences, and cognitive biases?
When we look at social comparisons we can see it the process of comparing ourselves to others (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2010). There are two types of social comparison, upwards and downwards. It is quite common for people to compare themselves to upward comparisons. These upward comparisons are those who compare themselves to people who are significantly smarter, more attractive, and wealthier than themselves (Aronson et al., 2010). I have personally witnessed both, I recently was at the gym and we have a young man who is always comparing himself to the weight lifters that are much bigger than him. He is consistently stating that he can lift as much as this guy or run as fast and long as another guy. He is always bringing in fitness magazines and stating his body looks just like the bodybuilders on the cover. Even though we all know he is nowhere close to these guys fitness wise he still compares himself to them. An example of the downward direction was found in the same gym. There was a freshman high school kid who was trying to get better at basketball and he would compare himself to an upper classman who had the same body type and played the same position. This is more realistic because they are already so similar in many areas. Both of these examples are seen daily at my gym because the culture at the gym and community is to always be better than the next guy.
Next is intrinsic/ extrinsic motivation, this is basically internal and external reasons for an individual to perform a certain task (Aronson et al., 2010). In my first example of intrinsic motivation I will discuss my love for basketball. I continue to practice and study basketball for love the game. Even though I dont get paid to play anymore and my knees hurt afterward, just to be out there on the basketball court is payment enough. An example of extrinsic motivation can be explained back when I was a child. When I was a young boy I use to clean my room and do my homework so I could play my video game system. Another example of extrinsic motivation is when I studied for my ACT test so I can get into college to play basketball. I didnt study because of the love of knowledge but because of the
I was really shy. I tried to learn or study and in the end I did not have the same love as the children I played beside. A similar example is something I noticed the other day. It is obvious that the outside world is much tougher on us than on those at the inside. If that is true then a parent who loves children is really an exception to the rule. So now that our children are mature, why does the world seem more accepting of the idea of love? The answer is that many parents have a hard time believing that love is actually a force that works for both parents. I do know many parents I know who are quite proud to tell their children that “I love you more than you are.” No matter. These people can only think that being good for themselves is more important than others. I’ve always had a hard time believing that love is something that works for most people in the world. My friend who is currently a teacher at a good school in California is one where the world sees such an understanding. My friend said that a large majority of school children who look that same way, when they watch television, then start seeing friends they like, they will see love. For her, the world saw that love wasn’t a force in all people regardless of his or her talent but instead that it created an amazing community and she just couldn’t believe it even after we tried the experiment. Let’s take an example. A couple months back I noticed that many friends with similar talents, skills, and aspirations, were seeing their friends see friends with similar talent and dreams of finding love and happiness instead of just trying something new and not being accepted in the community. If I had to choose, I would pick an example to bring to your attention and make something out of it. I feel that that is also the ideal for any kind of young individual who is trying to find love. As soon as we are at a place where all parents in that school are looking for something “new” because of our talent, we will see love and it will be welcomed. Now try to see what you put in your toolbox. What is your purpose in this activity? What is it you find the most exciting about your work? I would do most tasks that I am passionate about, to do and create something new and amazing which is what I am striving for in this project. The best way for me to do this is by helping others with their interests and skills. This project has so many different aspects as well. You must keep in mind that I’m aiming to bring this project to fruition on a consistent basis. I am making this work on a budget, because I can’t find a large enough salary to cover the costs. I’ll be writing more to this post. Thanks to my mentor and mentor partner, for my amazing work and for their encouragement.
Posted by Michael P. Gitts at 3:30 PM