Essay: Formation of an impression in a business environment

The formation of an impression is the process of understanding other people by finding out consistent features by synthesizing information about them. A person makes overall and organized judgment of the subject according to the inferred characteristics of the subject. Impression is a characteristic of a person who has been inferred by other people through various clues. Goffman argued that people are motivated to control and influence the impressions of others (1). Impression management is an effort to let people know who they are and what they are, and it is the process of conveying their impressions to others.

Goffman argues that human daily life is the intended play and drama on the one hand, and that all actions are a kind of performance (8). Individuals appropriately express their intention to the audience on stage and try not to expose unfavorable information about themselves for performance. This is done at the level of impression management which ultimately aims to present the best impression as desired. There is a premise that everybody wants to make a positive impression to each other in interpersonal relations by managing their impressions. In the end, successful impression management for Goffman means that positive impressions are formed by changing the situation and the audience, that is, the environment (2).

According to Goffman, impression management is a process in which an attempt to influence others’ perceptions of oneself is made unconsciously or consciously (3). In addition, it can be defined as a process in which an attempt is made to control the image reflected in actual or virtual social interaction and to influence the perception of others. Impression management is not a negative meaning of manipulation and control but an instinctive activity of human being. It is a positive process that guarantees the dynamics of life because it implies diversity and possibility of change of human behavior. In the end, impression management is not a negative act to deceive others, but a natural and general behavior manifesting from human basic motives.

When beginning a new job, it is very important to convey a good impression. On the stage of workplace, an individual plays a role of a good co-worker in front of the audience, colleagues or customers. They pay much attention to appearance and gesture to give a good impression. There are also several collective collaborations because the workplace is conducted as a team of several people. In other words, an individual plays an expected role in an organization or a group, and the expression of the self is also adapted to the team by forming a team. To get along with colleagues, it is good to keep smiling and respect them. In addition, it is better to give comfort, considering the opinions and feelings of the others, than to make them uncomfortable. As it is a workplace, it is good to give an impression that you are a responsible and capable person.

..