Status and Its Impact on Perception, Essay Example

Though modern society attempts to prove the existence of equal opportunities for everyone despite any physical or ethnic differences, it is not entirely true to fact. Social interactions stipulate reception and further attitude to other people, which it is often conditioned by the named differences.

Stereotypes, which have been formed many years ago, still serve the basis for prejudice. The dependence of achieved status (usually, the result of efforts, mastery in a domain) upon ascribed status, assumed involuntary from birth, may supply a vivid proof. The ascribed status often impacts the possibility to acquire wanted achieved status. Personal characteristics, employing race, gender, age, appearance may become the insuperable obstacle on the way to purpose set. The example is the number of women among the leading executives of military forces or too young senators, lawyers, top managers.

Possibility of discrimination on any ground often leads to utilizing the technique of impression management or self- presentation. People manage their behavior transforming or concealing the truth to suit one’s own end within social interactions. There are various theories of self-presentation. One of them is Ervin Goffman’s concept of dramaturgical analysis. According to it, all social interactions should be regarded as a performance.

Jones and Pittman (1982) entitle five tactics to perform successful self-presentation; they have received practical application. Ingratiation employs the attempts of self-presenter to seem likeable through flattering, hyperbolic attentiveness or imitating of the object of interaction. As contrasted to ingratiation, intimidation bases on the image of possible menace or inducing fear.  Self-promotion concerns drawing attention to personal accomplishments or professional skills. The ability to make other people feel guilty with no visible reason results in exemplification.  Pretending to be weak and helpless in order to get help and sympathy, people utilize supplication (Arkin, Shepperd 178-180).

They are usually used to produce positive impression on an interviewer or potential employer, to find a romantic partner, to become a member of an informal organization. Nevertheless, self-presenters’ distortions of the truth or exaggeration stand at the verge of deliberate deception. The tactics may be treated like a lie, but surely they require skills to realize them.

Works Cited

Arkin, Robert M., Shepperd James A. “Strategic self-presentation: An overview”.

The psychology of tactical communication. Ed. Michael J. Cody, Margaret J. McLaughlin. Bristol, PA: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 1990.175 -194.