The Receiver's Dilemma: Impressions Formed in Response to Impression Management

In forming impressions of an impression manager, receivers respond both to the projected image and to the attempt to impress. When the impression created is favorable, but the manipulativeness of the impression manager breeds rejection, receivers might find themselves in a dilemma. In order to examine how receivers respond, 195 subjects completed questionnaires. They were asked to recall and reproduce a situation in which a person presented him or herself to them in either a tactical or an ordinary way. Subjects rated the target person along semantic differential scales and reported their impressions in open form. It was found that, in most cases, subjects viewed the manager of a tactical selfpresentation as ego-defensive (thus covering up for weaknesses), rather than as ego-enhancive (impressive even though manipulative). This finding is discussed in terms of the receivers' dilemma.