Self-Presentational Aspects of Maladaptive Behavior

Abstract

The impressions others form of us substantially determine how they treat us in social encounters. A man who is thought to be friendly, open, and honest, for example, is treated much differently than one who is viewed as dishonest, narcissistic, and cold. A woman whom others see as strong and competent receives quite different reactions than does a woman who is perceived as weak and ineffectual. Teachers react quite differently to a student who appears to be interested and motivated than to one who seems bored and unmotivated. Moreover, whether the impressions others hold of us are accurate is, in a sense, beside the point. Veridical or not, their impressions mediate much of their behavior toward us. As a result, social psychologists have long been interested in the processes involved in forming impressions of other people (see Harvey & Weary, 1982; Nisbett & Ross, 1980; Schneider, Hastorf, & Ellsworth, 1979).