What is self-presentation?

 

In simple terms:

Self-presentation is the way we try to influence how other people see us.

We are often aware that other people are forming impressions of us, so we may change how we behave depending on who we're with and what situation we're in.

For example, someone might:

• Behave differently at work than they do at home.
• Dress differently for a job interview.
• Try to appear confident even when they feel nervous.
• Be more formal with a teacher or employer.
• Act differently around close friends.
• Present themselves differently on social media.

This doesn't necessarily mean someone is being fake. People naturally have different roles and expectations in different social situations.

Impression management

A closely related term is impression management.

This means deliberately trying to influence the impression other people form of us.

For example:

Job interview: “I want them to see me as capable and reliable.”

Meeting new people: “I want them to see me as friendly.”

Social media: “I want people to see a particular side of my life.”

We can therefore think of it as:

Self-presentation = how I present myself.
Impression management = trying to influence how others perceive me.

Why this is interesting for mental health

There is an important connection here with stigma and disability.

Someone may consciously or unconsciously change how they present themselves because they are worried about being judged.

For example, a person might:

Hide difficulties → try to appear “fine” → avoid asking for help

Other people may then see only the person's outward behaviour and assume:

“They're coping perfectly well.”

This can create a significant gap between what other people see and what the person is actually experiencing.

It also connects with the social psychology concepts you mentioned earlier. We can make an attribution error when we judge someone's behaviour without knowing what is happening underneath it.

So your social psychology section could build nicely:

Social influence → Attribution → Cognitive biases → Self-presentation → How we perceive other people

And then you can connect those ideas to mental health, disability, stigma, relationships, and everyday life.