“Without wearing any mask we are conscious of, we have a special face for each friend.” (Holmes, O.W., 1911) If life is a stage, then as casual observers with first impressions of our friend John, we are also actors in the play. I may cast my first impressions about John. Moreover, how we view these two situations have as much to say about us than it does about John. How Do First Impressions Strike Us? Our brain processes and integrates a variety of input factors that help us arrive at a “first impression.” This “brain process” functions like a road map that assists us in reaching a conclusion, with a high amount of accuracy in as little as thirty seconds (Schiller, D., Freeman, J., Mitchell, J., Uleman, J., & Phelps, E., 2009). Although there maybe a variety of factors that could influence this process. I submit that the greatest influence on a first impression is your “needs framework.” There are five hierarchal levels of needs listed in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, A., 1968). Beginning with the lowest level: Physiological, an individual ideally satisfies and progresses through each step toward fulfillment. The remaining steps in order are: Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem, then Self-Actualization and Self-Transcendence. So, how does this need framework influence our process of the first impression of other individuals? First Impressions “strike us” because when the opportunity of forming a first impression is presented to us, we put our current needs framework ahead of the first impression we are about to make about the other person. The needs we most value and protect drive our self-interest and provide the filter in which we form our impressions and assumptions about another person. ... ... middle of paper ... ...14. doi:10.1038/nn.2278 Maslow, A. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Tay, L., Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 101(2), Aug 2011, 354-365. doi: 10.1037/a0023779 Maslow, A. (1968).. Toward a Psychology of Being. (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Weisbuch, M., Ambady, N., Clarke, A.L., Achor, S., & Weele, J. (2010). On Being Consistent: The Role of Verbal–Nonverbal Consistency in First Impressions. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 32(3), 261-268. doi: 10.1080/01973533.2010.495659 Carl Gustav Jung. (2010). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Ambivert. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/ambivert
Maslow, A. (1987). Motivation and Personality. In A. Maslow, Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row.
Maslow’s psychological theory is evident in the novel to prove that it is not only the community that influences the development of the child, but to a large extent, it is
Encountering new people is a constant happening for everyone. Appearance, gender, posture, and age dictates how people form first impressions. In tenth of a second, someone can elaborate a mental image of someone whom they don’t even know. The more time someone has to judge someone by their first encounter, the more confident that person is in their judgement (Boutin 1). The accuracy of first impressions are underestimated.
Simple Psychology (2014) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html (Accessed on: 08th April 2014)
First impressions are created by a composite of signals given off by a new experience (Flora, 2004). The judgment of these impressions depends on the observer and the person being observed (Flora, 2004). When you meet someone for the first time it takes about three seconds to be evaluated by the observer (Mind Tools, 1996-2011,). During this time the person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, and how you dress (Mind Tools, 2996-2011,). Impressions are important to us because they are impossible to be reserved and the set the tone for all the relationships that follow (Mind Tools, 1996-2011).
Maslow A (1971). The farther reaches of Human nature. The Viking press, Penguin books. p23.
Abraham Harold Maslow was born on April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the oldest of seven children born to his parents, who were uneducated Jewish immigrants from Russia. His parents, wanting the best for their children in the “new world”, pushed him hard in his academic studies. He was smart but shy, and remembered his childhood as being lonely and rather unhappy. He sought refuge in his books and studies. His father hoped he would study as a lawyer, and Maslow enrolled in the City College of New York. After three semesters at CCNY, he transferred to Cornell and then back to CCNY again. He married his first cousin Bertha, against his parent’s wishes and moved to Wisconsin, where he would attend the University of Wisconsin for graduate school. Here he met his chief mentor Professor Harry Harlow, and became interested in psychology, and his schoolwork began to improve dramatically. He pursued a new line of research, investigating primate dominance behavior and sexuality. He received his BA in 1930, his MA in 1931, and his PhD in 1934, all in the field of psychology, all from the University of Wisconsin. A year after he graduated he returned to New York to work with E.L. Thorndike at Colombia, where he studied similar topics. From 1937 to 1951, Maslow worked full-time on staff at Brooklyn College. In NY he found two more mentors, anthropologist Ruth Benedict and Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer, whom he admired both professionally and personally. These two people were so accomplished in what they did and such “wonderful human beings”, that Maslow began taking notes about them and their behavior. This would be the foundation for his life long research and thinking about me...
“what is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself” (Abraham Maslow, 1954)
Simons, Janet A., Donald B. Irwin, and Beverly A. Drinnien. Pshycology-The Search for Understanding (Maslow). Ed. Unknown. New York NY: West, 1987. Print.
Abraham Maslow wrote the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory was based on fulfilling five basic needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow believed that these needs could create internal pressures that could influence the behavior of a person. (Robbins, p.204)
Abraham Maslow adopted the theory, and it was focused on discussing the development of professional organizations that are devoted to a more humanistic psychology. There are important topics that dominate the theory such as creativity, self-actualization and individuality as central themes to the theory. Humanistic approach is paramount and has played a critical role in ensuring understanding and new ways of thinking concerning mental
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, July 1943. 370-396. Print. 8 Feb. 2014.
Taylor, Pepau, & Sears (2000) explain that first impressions are extremely important because they are the initial idea that an individual forms about another individual and determine whether they decide to pursue any type of relationship. People tend to form impressions of each other relatively quickly and use minimal information such as the gender of the o...
How first impressions are formed has been a subject of interest by many researchers in the area of psychology.
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of basic human needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory suggests that embedded in the very nature of each human being are certain needs that must be attained in order for a person to be whole physically, psychologically, and emotionally. First, there are phys...