Editing Impression management (section)

==== Self, social identity and social interaction ====
The social psychologist, Edward E. Jones, brought the study of impression management to the field of psychology during the 1960s and extended it to include people's attempts to control others' impression of their personal characteristics.<ref>Leary; Kowalski 1990</ref> His work sparked an increased attention towards impression management as a fundamental interpersonal process.

The concept of [[self]] is important to the theory of impression management as the images people have of themselves shape and are shaped by social interactions.{{sfn|Schlenker|1980|p=47}} Our self-concept develops from social experience early in life.{{sfn|Schlenker|1980|p=85}} Schlenker (1980) further suggests that children anticipate the effect that their behaviours will have on others and how others will evaluate them. They control the impressions they might form on others, and in doing so they control the outcomes they obtain from social interactions.

[[Social identity]] refers to how people are defined and regarded in [[social interactions]].{{sfn|Schlenker|1980|p=69}} Individuals use impression management strategies to influence the social identity they project to others.{{sfn|Schlenker|1980|p=85}} The identity that people establish influences their behaviour in front of others, others' treatment of them and the outcomes they receive. Therefore, in their attempts to influence the impressions others form of themselves, a person plays an important role in affecting his social outcomes.{{sfn|Schlenker|1980|p=90}}

Social interaction is the process by which we act and react to those around us. In a nutshell, social interaction includes those acts people perform toward each other and the responses they give in return.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://study.com/academy/lesson/social-interactions-definition-types-quiz.html|title=Social Interactions: Definition & Types|last=Moffitt|first=Kimberly}}</ref> The most basic function of self-presentation is to define the nature of a social situation (Goffman, 1959). Most social interactions are very role governed. Each person has a role to play, and the interaction proceeds smoothly when these roles are enacted effectively. People also strive to create impressions of themselves in the minds of others in order to gain material and social rewards (or avoid material and social [[Social rejection|punishments]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/452/452_chapter_07.pdf|title=CHAPTER 07 SELF-PRESENTATION|last=Brown|first=Jonathon}}</ref>