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Psychology of First Impressions

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Psychology of First Impressions

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Psychology of First Impressions

Introduction

In life, human beings get to play different roles and to be different things to a variety of people. The identities that individuals claim as well as the roles people assume in the interpersonal, social, and organizational settings are not often complicated, and everyone can be considered as actors demonstrating different characters in our quest to please other. As people experience differing social scenarios, many tend to alter or modify their behaviors to be perceived well by other. Such action is termed as Impression Management (IM). Hence, the manner in which individuals perceive others is of importance in social settings and interpersonal relations and thus tends to affect human lives. As individuals experience diverse social situations from the moment they step out of the house until the evening, people often carry themselves in a way that ensures others perceive them positively. Individuals draw trait assumptions from the appearance of subjects including facial appearance and body posture among others. A short time of contact and exposure correlates with the judgment made by others, demonstrating that exposure time is sufficient for individuals to form an impression. This paper discusses the concept of first impression and how they are perceived and incorporates tactics such as IM (Impression Management), self-presentation, and interview impressions.

Discussion

A first impression entails to an event of when a person encounters another individual and develops a mental perception and image of the subject. The first impression depends on the target and the observer, and it is based on a variety of factors including age, languages, genders, physical appearance, voice, posture, accent, time

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