The Psychology Book

IN CONTEXT

APPROACH

Impression management

BEFORE

1890 William James first makes the distinction between the private self-as-subject (“I”) and the public self-as-object (“me”).

1902 American sociologist Charles Cooley posits the looking-glass self theory, which states that the self is reflected in the reactions of other people.

AFTER

1990 US psychologists Mark Leary and Robin Kowalski define three ways in which impression management can increase well-being: belonging, self-enhancement, and self-understanding.

1995 Psychologist Sarah Hampson argues that our behavior changes according to who we are with, and different people bring out various aspects of our ...