self-expression, impression management and ethics

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Hi there,

I just read the interesting book "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life", Erving Goffman, and learned alot about social interactions.

I always tried to be as honest as possible, and therefore tried to prevent manipulations of my perception, i always hesitated to do so. But now it seems to me that impression management, influencing the perception of myself to the others is not basically something bad, if you don't use it it might also happen that others got a pretty false impression of you, especially if they know that you got ASD but have some wrong impression what ASD is.

All in all i am looking for some thoughts, when self impression management, influencing the others is somehow ethically justified, and when not.

To give an example:

1.) If i actually don't like a person so well, but i need his help, how friendly may i be, and when is it too friendly, when did the person get a wrong impression that i like her much?

2.) When a girl has a boyfriend, but likes me too and i like her too, and she smiles at me, may i smile back? When may i, when may i not?

best regads,
anton

You can always smile at someone. This is a universally accepted activity.

1) You talk about the other person being a he and then being a she, which is it?
If you need a person to help you doesn't mean you can be very picky, so act friendly and get your need done. How willing he/she is to help you depends on his/her disposition towards you.

2) Like MidlifeAspie said, it's a universally accepted activity.
Don't forget to size-up her boyfriend in case he is in viewing distance, he might think otherwise in relation terms .