What Is Impression Management?

Impression management is the process of trying to control the impression others have of you. It’s an intentional attempt to influence your reputation, or how you seem to others. If you want to seem friendly, you’ll probably make eye contact, smile, start a conversation, use people’s names, and remember details about their lives. An impression manager chooses to present in a certain way to create a specific image of themself.

“Impression management has a lot of advantages,” said Alise Dabdoub, PhD, director of product innovation at Hogan Assessments. “It can help you get a job, do better in the workplace, make sales—all kinds of things.”

Who Is an Impression Manager?

One of the most common times for people to manage their self-presentation is during job interviews. A job candidate tends to be highly aware of how their words and actions influence what others think of them. They will likely “put their best foot forward,” or portray themselves in the best possible way. They will actively strive to show that they are conscientious, agreeable, or any other characteristic that could help them succeed in their desired role.

Impression managers tend to care very much about the impression they are making, just as anyone might during an interview. But it’s important to impression managers to appear a certain way almost all the time. They tend to seem mannerly, polite, socially conventional, self-controlled, and careful not to give offense. This interpersonal approach is likely driven by the universal human motives of getting along with others (cooperation) and getting ahead of others (competition).

How We Measure Impression Management

Hogan’s personality assessments can identify impression management as a behavioral style. Dr. Dabdoub explained that how someone responds on a personality assessment reflects how they want others to view them. Those whose profiles correspond to that of an impression manager often aim to seem acceptable or appropriate in social situations. They may use their interpersonal skills to adapt or conform to different social circumstances. Consequently, impression managers tend to exhibit certain socioemotional skills that can be detected through personality assessments.

One of Hogan’s three core personality assessments is the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), which describes everyday strengths. Among the seven scales on the HPI is the Prudence scale, which relates to whether a person seems conscientious, conforming, and dependable. The Prudence scale is composed of seven subscales. People who score very high on three specific Prudence subscales—Moralistic, Mastery, and Virtuous—might be impression managers, although not necessarily.

These three Prudence subscales predict behaviors that Dr. Dabdoub described as “diligent, precise, perfectionistic, hardworking, and rule-following.” People who score high on this group of subscales likely care about adhering to rules, working hard, and striving for perfection. They also might want others to perceive them this way. If so, they could be responding to assessment items in a socially desirable manner, similar to how they might behave in a job interview.

Types of Impression Managers

The Hogan assessments identify three impression manager profiles, each linked to a specific need, which help in understanding the reputation someone aims to build and the tactics they use.

What is considered socially desirable behavior is influenced by context—for example, by the culture of different teams or organizations. Someone concerned with seeming skilled will try to attract acclaim for their accomplishments. Someone who wants to seem intellectual will find opportunities for self-promotion to share their knowledge. In some contexts, flattery may be a more effective technique for getting along or getting ahead; in others, conformity might produce better results.

Impression Management vs. Faking

Is impression management the same as faking or deception on a personality assessment? Not exactly.

Impression management refers to controlled behavior during social interaction. Describing yourself on a personality assessment is considered social interaction, similar to describing yourself in an interview or on a date. Impression managers are typically consistent in the impression they intend to give. Consistency in self-presentation is one definition of personality—a viewpoint that suggests impression managers are the people they seem to be. Their performance builds a consistent reputation.

Faking involves people consciously or unconsciously claiming characteristics that they don’t have. Thus, it is a deviation from their consistent behavior. If Noel claims to be good with details but turns in work full of minor errors, they have created inconsistency between their words and actions.

Organizations that use scientifically validated personality assessments, such as the Hogan assessments, will gain meaningful, predictive data about how people are likely to perform at work. “We measure your likelihood of engaging in any given behavior,” Dr. Dabdoub said. She pointed out that an impression management profile is no reason to disqualify a job candidate; rather, people with this profile can make excellent employees. “There’s nothing wrong with impression managing. If you know what the desired behavior is, you’re more likely to do the desired behavior successfully,” she added.

Why Impression Management Matters

Ultimately, impression management matters because it’s a behavioral style that affects job performance. Dr. Dabdoub observed a correlation between the HPI scales Prudence and Interpersonal Sensitivity, which measures the degree to which someone seems perceptive, tactful, and socially sensitive. This suggests that someone who maintains a consistent reputation for themselves may have a higher degree of social skill. Impression managers can have a positive organizational impact using their emotional intelligence.

This post is based on an article originally published in the Hogan Assessments Blog.

Expert Contributor

Alise Dabdoub, PhD, is the director of product innovation at Hogan Assessments. She conducts research to create representative norms, create and validate products, and ensure the psychometric integrity and equivalence of the Hogan assessment suite.

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