First Impressions

In every first encounter with another person, we make judgments about them almost immediately based on a few simple factors. In the first few seconds upon meeting a new acquaintance we will take in and subconsciously process their age, choice in style of clothes, hair, their posture and the way that they carry themselves. In that short time we will form subconscious opinions about them based on our own personal prejudices and bias. After the first initial visual judgment we generally move into the physical greeting.

In western culture we will shake the hand of a person we have just initially met and this simple act will be the next test for our minds to run on this person. We will judge the character of their grip, whether it is a firm grip or a soft one, or perhaps too firm! Whether this handshake is pleasant or not will build upon the information gathered when the individuals first approached one another. The initial handshake can very well be the most important aspect of the introduction as “prospective employers said they're more likely to overlook visible body piercings and tattoos than an ineffective handshake” (Zupek, 2007).

The final stage of introduction is conversation. The exchange is generally mechanical, and will follow some loose rules. We exchange names and affiliations, and will then move on to interests or areas of business. This stage doesn’t change much in each social interaction and is an attempt to find common ground. As each individual finds similarities or subjects to which they can relate, they will become more comfortable with each other. The first impression has at this point been formed and we now carry that general idea of that person in our heads as we remember them, or meet them again....

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...I learned that my first impression is very powerful. Knowing that this is just a scenario allowed me to let my imagination wander a bit to create a more interesting story, but the only way I was able to change my first impression of John was by mentally creating a new “John” to inhabit any subsequent scenarios after the initial one. As long as I inhabited each scenario with the “original” John however, my first impression did not change. The first impression you leave me with will most likely color every interaction we have in the future, for good or ill.

Works Cited

Zupek, R. (2007, November 05). The worst way to shake hands. CNN Living, Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2007-11-05/living/cb.hand.shake_1_hand-dead-fish-finger?_s=PM:LIVING

Clark, D. (2010, August 18). First impressions. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/impress.html