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Impression Management: Goals and Strategies 47

CommunICaTInG eTHICallY

The ethics of Impression management

Impression management strategies may sometimes be used unethically
and for less than noble purposes. For example, people may use affinity-
seeking strategies to get you to like them so that they can then extract
favors from you. Politicians frequently portray themselves as credible in ethical Choice point
order to win votes. The same could be said of the stereotypical used-car You’re ready to join one (perhaps several) of the online dating services. You
salesperson or insurance agent trying to make a sale. Some people use self- need to write your profile and are wondering if everyone (or nearly everyone)
handicapping or self-deprecating strategies to get you to see their behav- exaggerates, you shouldn’t also. Specifically, you’re considering saying that you
ior from a perspective that benefits them rather than you. Self-monitoring earn a very good salary (actually, it’s not so great but you’re hoping for a pro-
strategies are often deceptive, designed to present a more polished motion), that you’re twenty pounds lighter (actually, you intend to lose
image than what might surface without self-monitoring. And, of course, weight), and that you own a condo (actually, that’s a goal once you get the
influencing strategies have been used throughout history in deception as promotion and save a down payment). If you don’t exaggerate, you reason,
well as in truth. Even image-confirming strategies can be used to deceive, you’ll disadvantage yourself and not meet the people you want to meet. Also,
as when people exaggerate their positive qualities (or make them up) and you figure that people expect you to exaggerate and assume that you’re prob-
hide their negative ones. ably a lot less ideal than your profile would indicate. Would this be ethical?

Messages in the Media Wrap Up
Probably all television crime shows involve some character seeing what others miss. Watching such shows with
a view toward seeing relationships and connections will help you see the principles of perception in operation.

Summary of Concepts and Skills Study and Review materials for this chapter
are at MyCommunicationLab

Listen to the Audio Chapter areas: the open self, the blind self, the hidden self, and
Summary at MyCommunicationLab the unknown self. To increase self-awareness, analyze
yourself, listen to others to see yourself as they do, ac-
This chapter explored the self—the ways you perceive your- tively seek information from others about yourself, see
self, and perception—the way you perceive others and others yourself from different perspectives, and increase your
perceive you. open self.
3. Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself and may be
the Self in Human Communication enhanced by attacking self-destructive beliefs, seeking out
1. Self-concept, the image that you have of yourself, is composed nourishing others, working on projects that will result in
of feelings and thoughts about both your abilities and your success, and securing affirmation.
limitations. Self-concept develops from the image that others
have of you, the comparisons you make between yourself and
others, the teachings of your culture, and your own interpre- Self-Disclosure
tations and evaluations of your thoughts and behaviors. 4. Self-disclosure is a form of communication in which in-
2. The Johari window model of the self is one way to view formation about the self that is normally kept hidden is
self-awareness. In this model there are four major communicated to one or more others.