It's just Greek to you: a qualitative study of impression management among Greek alumni in academics

Abstract

In this study, the author explored how Greek organizational alumni who are training to enter or are in the Academy professionally manage their Greek affiliation as a facet of their individual identity. Research on the self was prevalent throughout the 20th century, starting with Cooley's Looking Glass Self, including Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), among many others. Impression management has also been a prominent construct in Social Psychological Research (Jones & Pittman, 1982). Using qualitative interviews, the study explored the lived experiences of Greek Organizational Alumni in the Academy. Overall, the results revealed that the participants do not disclose their Greek affiliation for a variety of reasons. Additionally participants revealed that they do not feel specifically privileged or stigmatized by their affiliation, but that their affiliation must be carefully communicatively managed. Implications for future research are also discussed.