Appearance and Image in the Perception and Misperception of Self and Others: Ichheiser and Social Psychological Theory

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the contribution of Gustav Ichheiser’s work to social psychological theory, especially around the key concepts of social misperception and the role of the image of self, others, and social groups in perception and misperception. After setting out some of Ichheiser’s central concepts on the way we misinterpret people and groups within social relations, I critically contrast these concepts with my own work on the role of image in perception and misperception within social interaction. Although critical of some of the dichotomies that creep into his work, particularly those of outer and inner personality, impression and expression, and the visible and invisible, there is still much in Ichheiser’s work that can make a contribution to debates in social psychological theory.