One thing that I find especially interesting about human
nature is how often we use rhetoric to shape others’ opinion of ourselves. We
are constantly changing our mannerisms to reflect the person of which we want
others to see. But the rhetoric with which we use depends on whom we are trying
to influence. An example of this is how we use rhetoric to influence those in
authority’s perspective of us.
As college freshmen, most of us have a general idea as to what
kind of person we are and who we want to be. Many of us have dreams of doing something
amazing with our lives, and with that come a great deal of dedication and hard
work for those who will make those dreams become reality. Having someone in a
position of power over you can be somewhat intimidating. And something that we
always do in those situations is use rhetoric to influence that person’s
perspective of ourselves. We want them to know that we are trustworthy and
competent, so we show that to them through our language and actions. One may
say that we are being on our “best behavior.” Something that coincides with
this is the theory of Impression Management, which states that humans attempt
to influence others perceptions by regulating or controlling information in
social interactions. I find this very interesting because it’s almost like we’re
using rhetoric as a façade in order to control others’ opinions of ourselves.
But that’s just my perspective. Thoughts?
I don't see our impressions as facades, but rather that we emphasize a certain part of ourselves in order to show people the favorable side of us. This is unless the person is straight-up lying to people about themselves, which is called giving a false impression. I believe that the actions that we do and think in solitude reflect our full selves because we aren't worried about impressing people or trying to convince others to view us a certain way. We just emphasize different characteristics in public.
ReplyDeleteI think it might depend upon the person. Some people want others to have a certain image of themselves, though the truth of the matter is that a completely different person is lurking on the inside. I, on the other hand, want people to like me for myself. I understand that I have moments when I am irresponsible, but I want people to see me for who I am rather than the person who I want to be. Sometimes we do have our different mannerisms or something while we are in public compared to when we are at home, which my parents refer to as "other people manners." So while we are more polite to people we don't know (I hope), it is only because that is the way in which we were raised.
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