Exactly What is social image?

Is it how you dress? Your Grooming? The quality or cost of your clothing?
What creates an individual’s social image?
Social image is the image you project to others in public.
An individual's public persona —that is, the identity or face presented to others in public
contexts.

Social image is a set of standards that someone is willing to give into and adopt as their
own.
Social image is what you think and want the society to think about you, or of you, that is
your image. Image is a representation of the external form of a person or thing in art.
The person will assess and evaluate their own traits and behaviours based on this “image”
Maintaining a positive social image is an essential feature of human psychology, as it fosters
collaborative group behaviour more efficiently than other motivations.
The image that society has of a person or a business.
According to Leonard Burstyn and Robert Jensen, “Many actions that one might undertake
are observations by others and may send a single about ones type. The type can be any
attribute that a person may care about whether economic, social, political or religious.

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL IMAGE

➢ Affects your career and your interaction with others: it may seem unfair to judge
an individual by appearance and behaviour rather than their performance; but in
most business environments, judgments are made about people based on the
professional image they display because of appearance and behaviour. The effect of a
social image on your career and your interaction with others can be significant.

➢ Affects your self-confidence and performance: When you believe you are dressed
appropriately, know the required protocol, and are comfortable communicating with
others, you tend to feel a heightened sense of self confidence because you know
what to do and how to do it. This sense of self confidence can positively influence
your performance
 ➢ Gaining the respect of others: You also gain the respect of others by projecting a
positive social image. This respect is important, as people see you and form opinions
about your professional image. Many times, throughout the course of days’ work
you will be seen and evaluated in an informal manner. These observations
contribute to the overall belief that people have about you.

➢ Smooth your way or stop you cold: your image can smooth your way or stop you
cold. Your Image, What Is It Saying About You? -. Start right, start strong and your
image will be your most powerful advocate telling people who and what you are as
you connect with them and get your message across

GUIDELINES TO PROJECT POSITIVE SOCIAL IMAGE

1. Appropriate Appearance:
Dress in such a manner as to enhance your authority, promote your respect, aid in
your advancement opportunities in the workplace. Appropriate dressing involves
right clothing choice based on the following considerations
• Profession
• Company policies
• Level of customer and client interaction
• Geographic location
• Clothing care and maintenance
• Appropriate styles for your individual body
• Types of functions you must attend
• Budget and buying techniques

Personal grooming habits outlook are especially important in your social image. You
must develop and practice good grooming habits to ensure that your appearance is clean
and polished in your professional role.

• Overall cleanliness
• Hair
• Nails
• Teeth
• Makeup

2. Manners and etiquette:

Your social image is also communicated through your use of right manner and
etiquette. Manners and etiquette are important in the overall social image you
project. You should be familiar with the different protocols of behaviour as they
relate to social manners add etiquettes. Some of these include:
 • making introduction and proper greeting.
• Being able to start and support conversation
• respecting the customs of others
• being able to express appreciation
• knowing proper dining rules and protocol
• extending courteous behaviour to others
• knowing how to behave in inconvenient situation.
You can learn to be professional in these areas in enhance your social image with
practice and attention in determining the etiquette requirements for different situations.

3. Personal Behaviour:
As a professional you want to practice a code of personal behaviour that shows
respect for your organization and the people who work with you. It contributes to
the overall social image you project. Some aspects of person behaviour include:
• Respect in the organization and its rules.
• Bing a loyal employee.
• Conducting business in an ethical manner.
• Assuming responsibility.
• Respecting the diversity of people.
Each of these aspects of personal behaviour is important in the business world and your
reputation for being committed to them will be proven early in your career. You should give
careful attention to personal behaviour. many people have been high achievers who
projected an image in their appearance and yet failed in their career because they did not
take responsibility for their personal behaviour.
4. Communications:
Communication should be clear, concise, and correct. You communicate non-
verbally in the society as well as in business world. Non-verbal communications send
message about your image. They include:
• Posture
• Facial gestures
• Neatness
• Listening
• Personal behaviour
• Punctuality
Example: A person who is usually late may not say “I don’t respect your time,” but that is
certainly the message communicated through this non-verbal action. Your overall ability to
communicate effectively is important. Effective communications require the following:

• Speaking correctly
• Writing proper communication’s
 • Expressing written appreciations
• Listening effectively
• Communicating verbally in inconvenient situations

5. Be charitable:
You can be charitable in many ways. Give your time, energy, and wisdom to people
around you as well as those in dire need. Help the person failing in the office, or the
friend hurting, or anyone trying to build a better life. Just find a cause and give.
People will notice and respect you for it. Including the most important person you.

Common Questions about Social Image and Its Importance in Society

Q: What is social image?
A person’s social image is how they are perceived by others in a society. Normally, people
try to build more acceptance for themselves by caring about what others think about them.

Q: Is it good to care about social image?

Some people care so much about their social image that they have constant anxiety, which
is neither healthy nor logical. However, a certain level of caring about other people’s
opinions is natural and necessary for achieving the desired social status.

Q: Do people lie to create the social image that they prefer?

Yes. It is common to lie for creating a better social image. It can range from the tiny,
unimportant lies like “I’m fine,” when that is not true, to big lies about skills, wealth, etc.

Q: Why do people care about social image?

It is the social image that determines the level of acceptance in a society. If a person is
viewed negatively and nobody accepts them as a member of the group, their chances of
survival drop. Thus, people care about what others say or think about them.