Making Impressions

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the main ideas in "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" that revolve around the impressions a person makes, consciously or subconsciously, upon others. The paper looks at the book's chapters on roles people play, how people are actually putting on a performance and how there can be "inopportune intrusions".

From the Paper:

"What kind of an impression does a person make upon others? Is it intentional? Is it natural? Is it engineered for the benefit of those who might be watching? Why? Those are the salient questions that Erving Goffman's book asks, and answers, and it is an important consideration because every day in numerous instances and situations individuals are making impressions on others. People are making good impressions, neutral impressions, and unfortunately, bad ones too. The impressions that others receive are often created artificially, too, according to Goffman's Introduction. The girl who gets calls in the dorm loves the fact that people hear her name and have the impression she is very popular. Even though she may not be popular at all. This is an "impression given off" (Goffman, 1959, 4). Most everyone reading Goffman's book has done this at one time or another, so it should bring a grin to many faces."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Goffman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books.

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• Term Paper # 112095 : "Forming Social Impressions"

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