Introduction to Interpersonal
Communication
COMM 1103
Fall 2024-2025
Chapter 5
Impression Formation
Impression Formation
❑Impression formation (sometimes referred to as person perception)
❑consists of a variety of processes that you go through in forming an
impression of another person.
❑It takes about 7 seconds to form a first impression.
Impression Formation Processes
The way in which you perceive another person and ultimately come to evaluation or
interpretation of this person is not a simple logical sequence. Instead, your perceptions
seem to be influenced by a variety of processes:
1. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
2. Implicit personality theory.
3. Perceptual confirmation
4. Attribution of control.
1. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
❑A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true because you act on it as if it was true.
❑You make a prediction or formulate a belief about a person or a situation.
❑You act toward that person or situation as if that prediction or belief was true. Because you act as
if the belief was true, it becomes true.
❑You observe your effect on the person or the resulting situation, and what you see enhances your
beliefs.
2. Implicit Personality Theory
❑ It is the system of rules that tells you which characteristics go together.
❑ Each person has a subconscious or implicit theory that says which characteristics of an individual
go with other characteristics.
❑ If you believe a person has some positive qualities, you’re likely to infer that she or he also has
other positive qualities.
❑ if you know a person has several negative qualities, you’re more likely to conclude that the person
also has other negative qualities.
3. Perceptual Confirmation
❑Perceptual Confirmation leads you to see what you expect or want to see. You see people you like as
better looking and smarter than those you don’t like.
❑You magnify or state what will satisfy your needs and desires.
❑Perceptual Confirmation can lead you to perceive what you need or want to perceive rather than
what is there, and to fail
4. Attribution of Control
❑In perceiving and especially in evaluating other people’s behavior, you frequently ask if they were in
control of the behavior.
❑Generally, research shows that if you feel a person was in control of negative behaviors, you’ll come
to dislike him or her.
❑If you believe the person was not in control of negative behaviors, you’ll come to feel sorry for and
not blame the person.
How to increase accuracy in impression formation?
1. Be Open-Minded: Avoid quick judgments. Keep an open mind and be willing to adjust your
impressions as you gather more information.
[Link] Understanding: Actively listen and try to understand the other person's perspective. Empathy
goes a long way in forming accurate impressions.
[Link] Beyond Surface: People are complex. Don't rely solely on surface-level observations. Take the
time to delve deeper into someone's personality and experiences.
[Link] Context: Understand that behavior can be influenced by context. Someone may act
differently in a professional setting than in a casual environment.
5- Verify Information: Don't rely on hearsay. If possible, verify information from multiple sources to
get a more comprehensive view.
6-Avoid Stereotypes: Challenge stereotypes and preconceived notions. Each person is unique, and
assumptions based on stereotypes can lead to inaccurate impressions.
7-Give Second Chances: People can have off days or moments. If your first impression isn't favorable,
give them a chance to show other facets of their personality.
8-Reflect on Your Biases: We all have biases. Reflect on your own biases and be aware of how they
might influence your impressions.
Impression Management
❑ Impression management : It is the processes you go through to communicate
the image of yourself that you want others to have of you.
❑ Impression management takes place through the messages (verbal &
nonverbal you communicate) and people with whom you associate yourself
with.
❑ Part of the art and skill of interpersonal communication is to understand and
be able to manage the impressions you give to others; mastering the art of
impression management will enable you to present yourself as you want
others to see you—at least to some extent.
Impression management online
Impression management takes place through:
Your profile (Example: FB):
❑ Name.
❑ Profile and cover photo.
❑ Intro (bio).
❑ Content you share.
❑ Who you associate yourself with: friends & connections.
❑ Who you follow: pages and people.
❑ Your interaction: shares, comments and which
❑ reaction buttons you use.
❑ Groups you are part of.
Impression management goals
1. Be liked (Immediacy, Affinity-Seeking Strategies) .
2. Be believed (Credibility Strategies).
3. Excuse failures (Self-Handicapping Strategies).
4. Secure help (Self-Deprecating Strategies).
5. Hide faults (Self-Monitoring Strategies).
6. Be followed (Influencing strategies).
7. Confirm self-image (Image-Confirming Strategies).
1. To Be liked (Immediacy, Affinity-Seeking Strategies) .
❑The use of these techniques is likely to increase your chances of being liked:
❑Appear to be “in control” as a leader, as one who takes charge.
❑Present yourself as socially equal to Other.
❑Present yourself as comfortable and relaxed when with Other.
❑Appear active, enthusiastic, and dynamic.
❑Stimulate and encourage Other to talk about himself or herself; reinforce
❑Disclosures and contributions of Other.
❑Listen to Other attentively and actively.
❑Communicate interest in Other.
❑Appear optimistic and positive rather than pessimistic and negative.
❑Appear to Other as an independent individual.
❑Show respect for Other and help Other to feel positively about himself or herself.
2. To Be Believed: Credibility Strategies
❑To establish your competence, you may mention your great educational background or the
courses you took that qualify you as an expert.
❑To establish that you’re of good character, you may mention how fair and honest you are or
speak of your concern for surviving values or your concern for others.
❑And to establish your charisma—your take-charge, positive personality—you may demonstrate
enthusiasm, be emphatic, or focus on the positive while minimizing the negative
3. To Excuse Failure: Self-Handicapping Strategies
You set up barriers or obstacles to make the task impossible so that when you fail,
you won’t be blamed or thought ineffective—after all, the task was impossible.
4. To Secure Help: Self-Deprecating Strategies
Confessions of incompetence and inability often bring assistance from others.
You might say, “I just can’t fix that drain and it drives me crazy; I just don’t know
anything about plumbing,” with the hope that the other person will offer help.
5. To Hide Faults: Self-Monitoring Strategies
Here you carefully monitor (self-sensor) what you say or do.
You avoid your normal slang to make your colleagues think more highly of you; you
avoid chewing gum, so you don’t look unprofessional. While you readily disclose
favorable parts of your experience, you actively hide the unfavorable parts.
6. To Be Followed: Influencing Strategies
Influence means to exercise power. So, for example, to gain influence you may stress:
1. your knowledge (information power)
2. your experience (expert power)
3. your right to lead by virtue of your position .
7. To Confirm Self-Image: Image-Confirming Strategies
❑Your behaviors confirm your own self-image.
❑By engaging in image confirming behaviors, you’ll also let others know that this is
who you are, this is how you want to be seen.
❑While you reveal aspects of yourself that confirm your desired image, you will
probably suppress revealing aspects of yourself that would disconfirm this image.
Thank You