Editing Impression management (section)

=== Motives ===
Impression management can be found in all social interactions, whether real or imaginary, and is governed by a range of factors. The characteristics of a given social situation are important; specifically, the surrounding [[cultural norms]] determine the appropriateness of particular nonverbal behaviors.<ref>Kamau, C. (2009) Strategising impression management in corporations: cultural knowledge as capital. In D. Harorimana (Ed) Cultural implications of knowledge sharing, management and transfer: identifying competitive advantage. Chapter 4. Information Science Reference. {{ISBN|978-1-60566-790-4}}</ref> The actions and exchange have to be appropriate to the targets, and within that culture's norms. Thus, the nature of the audience and its relationship with the speaker influences the way impression management is realized. 

The awareness of being a potential subject of monitoring is also crucial. A person's goals inform the strategies of impression management, and can influence how they are received. This leads to distinct ways of presenting the self. [[Self-efficacy]] describes whether a person is convinced that it is possible to convey the intended impression.<ref>Doering 1999, p. 261-2.</ref> [[Conmen]], for instance, can rely on their ability to emanate self-assuredness in the process of gaining a mark's trust.

There is evidence that, all other things being equal, people are more likely to pay attention to faces associated with negative gossip compared to those with neutral or positive associations.<ref name=":6" /> This contributes to a body of work indicating that, far from being objective, human perceptions are shaped by unconscious brain processes that determine what they "choose" to see or ignore—even before a person is consciously aware of it. The findings also add to the idea that the brain evolved to be particularly sensitive to "bad guys" or cheaters—fellow humans who undermine social life by deception, theft or other non-cooperative behavior.<ref name=":6">{{cite journal | pmid = 21596956 | doi=10.1126/science.1201574 | volume=332 | issue=6036 | title=The visual impact of gossip. | date=Jun 2011 | journal=Science | pages=1446–8 | pmc=3141574 | last1 = Anderson | first1 = E | last2 = Siegel | first2 = EH | last3 = Bliss-Moreau | first3 = E | last4 = Barrett | first4 = LF| bibcode=2011Sci...332.1446A }}</ref>

There are many methods behind self-presentation, including [[self disclosure|self-disclosure]] (identifying what makes you "you" to another person), managing appearances (trying to fit in), [[ingratiation]], aligning actions (making one's actions seem appealing or understandable), and [[Altercasting|alter-casting]] (imposing identities onto other people). Maintaining a version of self-presentation that is generally considered to be attractive can help to increase one's [[social capital]]; this method is commonly used at networking events. These self-presentation methods can also be used by corporations for impression management with the public.<ref name="Sanaria" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-impression-management.htm|title=What is Impression Management?|website=wiseGEEK|date=22 July 2023 }}</ref>