Your Public Persona: Self-Presentation in Everyday Life

Overview

Examine the tactics we use, both positive and negative, to manage other people’s impressions and to achieve our goals, in this illuminating course taught by a professor of psychology.

Humans are social animals, and the impressions we make on others can critically impact the quality of our lives. Consequently, we spend much of our lives, both consciously and unconsciously, working to shape other people’s ideas about who we are. In this eye-opening, 12-lecture series with Professor Leary, explore the “self-presentational underpinnings of human behavior” as well as the what, how, and why of impression management.

People form impressions of us—who we are and what we’re like—very quickly and, right or wrong, those impressions determine significant aspects of our outcomes in life, both in the present as well as the future. In just a few short minutes, others assess our personality, interests, attitudes, and moods, taking into account everything from the content of our words to the style of our clothing, and much more. Sometimes their assessments are accurate, other times less so, but the impressions other people form of us significantly impact how they treat us.

Social interactions and the impressions that drive them are vitally important aspects of human behavior. In this compelling course, learn about how we shape the impressions other people form of us—at work, at home, in our social lives, and in the world at large.

Course Structure

1. Self-Presentation in Everyday Life
   Duration: 32 min
   Explore the fundamental concepts of self-presentation and its significance in daily interactions.
2. Tactics for Managing Impressions
   Duration: 32 min
   Learn various strategies for effectively managing the impressions you create in different contexts.
3. Fitting In and Playing Roles
   Duration: 33 min
   Understand the dynamics of fitting into social situations and the roles we adopt.
4. Playing to the Audience’s Values
   Duration: 33 min
   Discover how aligning your presentation with your audience’s values can enhance your effectiveness.
5. When Undesirable Personas Are Deliberate
   Duration: 34 min
   Examine situations where individuals intentionally adopt negative personas and the implications.
6. Your Public Persona and Your Self-Image
   Duration: 33 min
   Explore the relationship between how you present yourself publicly and your self-perception.
7. Self-Presentation in Close Relationships
   Duration: 33 min
   Investigate how self-presentation strategies differ in intimate and close relationships.
8. Managing Your Image at Work
   Duration: 33 min
   Learn effective techniques for maintaining a positive image in professional settings.
9. Social Anxiety and Self-Presentation
   Duration: 32 min
   Understand the impact of social anxiety on self-presentation and how to manage it.
10. Self-Presentation Dilemmas and Disasters
    Duration: 34 min
    Analyze common pitfalls in self-presentation and how to navigate them.
11. The Dangers of Self-Presentation
    Duration: 29 min
    Explore the potential risks associated with self-presentation strategies.
12. Behind the Mask: Who Are You Really?
    Duration: 35 min
    Reflect on the authenticity of your self-presentation and the persona you project.