Introduction:

There are two main reasons people try to manage the impressions of others: the instrumental and the expressive.

The instrumental motive includes what we already know - people have a desire for increased self-esteem. Instrumental motivation is about gaining rewards, in this case/situation, it is the increase in our self-esteem. Aside from an increase in self-esteem, people can be looking for acceptance, respect, more friends, etc.

An expressive motive is about wanting to be in charge of one's personal behavior and their identity. It can stem from a response to social norms, expectations, or restrictions, and it seeks to show others something different.

Instructions:

For this discussion board, you will be addressing impression management. Do you think a person is constructing multiple identities? How so? How are others collaborating in this person's identity management? Is this person managing their identity deliberately or unconsciously? How do you know? How aware of the impression they are creating do you think the person is? What makes you think this way?