• Declining safety equipment (such as helmets, goggles, and mouth guards) or sanitary precautions to avoid looking fearful or neurotic;
• Resisting the use of canes or other assistive devices to avoid the impression of age or illness;
• Risking skin cancer by tanning to appear healthy and leisured;
• Failing to use birth control to avoid the appearance of promiscuity or preparation; and
• Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or using other drugs to fit in or make an impression.

Although most of these types of behaviors are often more common in youth, many of us engage in risky behavior without necessarily realizing why we may be seeking attention or validation. In the end, no one is immune to the influence of social pressure. The desire to make an impression can lead people to behave in ways that are harmful, both to themselves and to others. Knowledge of self-presentation and impression management may be our best defense.

Insight into Who We Really Are

A critical examination of the nature of self-presentation tells us more than just what we do and why; it offers fundamental insight into who we really are. Instead of maintaining that we possess an internally consistent, core “self,” the study of self-presentation reveals that human psychology is much more complex—so much so that the fact we convey a variety of images of ourselves to other people is not surprising. Whether you begin the course untroubled by the fact that people regularly impression-manage, or believe instead that everyone should simply “be themselves,” you will leave convinced that self-presentation is unavoidable and sometimes even desirable. As Professor Leary notes, “None of us could achieve our goals, or even get along with each other, if we didn’t care what other people thought of us.”

With wry humor and a talent for distilling difficult concepts into everyday language, Professor Leary brings you to the forefront of behavioral research on self-presentation. After more than 40 years of experience in psychology and neuroscience, he makes this fascinating topic accessible to audiences everywhere. Step up to a thought-provoking journey into the workings of the human social mind, filled with self-discovery and insights into the other people in your life.

Contents:

1. Self-Presentation in Everyday Life
2. Tactics for Managing Impressions
3. Fitting In and Playing Roles
4. Playing to the Audience’s Values
5. When Undesirable Personas Are Deliberate
6. Your Public Persona and Your Self-Image
7. Self-Presentation in Close Relationships
8. Managing Your Image at Work
9. Social Anxiety and Self-Presentation
10. Self-Presentation Dilemmas and Disasters
11. The Dangers of Self-Presentation
12. Behind the Mask: Who Are You Really?