1990/01/01 by Mark R. Leary, Robin M. Kowalski · 3,115 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment #Advertising and Communication Studies #Sports, Gender, and Society #Component (thermodynamics) #Impression #Psychology #Impression management #Computer science #Cognitive psychology #Social psychology #World Wide Web
paper · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.107.1.34
published in Psychological Bulletin 107(1), 34-47 (American Psychological Association)
openalex publication_date 1990/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Impression management, the process by which people control the impressions others form of them, plays an important role in interpersonal behavior. This article presents a 2-component model within which the literature regarding impression management is reviewed. This model conceptualizes im-pression management as being composed of 2 discrete processes. The 1st involves impression moti-vation—the degree to which people are motivated to control how others see them. Impression moti-vation is conceptualized as a function of 3 factors: the goal-relevance of the impressions one creates, the value of desired outcomes, and the discrepancy between current and desired images. The 2nd component involves impression construction. Five factors appear to determine the kinds of impres-sions people try to construct: the self-concept, desired and undesired identity images, role con-straints, target's values, and current social image. The 2-component model provides coherence to the literature in the area, addresses controversial issues, and supplies a framework for future research regarding impression management. People have an ongoing interest in how others perceive and evaluate them. Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on diets, cosmetics, and plastic surgery—all intended to make