IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT AND DRUG USAGE IN QUAID-I-AZAM UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The study intends to measure the relationship of impression management and drug usage among the students of Qyauid-a-Azam University Islamabad. Impression management refers to personality outlook of an individual through his attitude and behavior in relation to students’ drug usage. Students take drugs for self making and the present research was conducted for measuring the self presentation and stylish behavior of students having drug habit in the educational institution regarding their modes and mechanism. In the present research the researcher checked the main objectives about modes and mechanism of drug usage among students. The relevant review by Harvey W. Feldman (June, 1968) which is “When drugs are introduced into a boyhood, the first users seem to be older adolescents whose stand up reputations have been indisputably earned”. The respondents were selected with the help of purposive sampling technique and sample size of 150 students was selected. Interview schedule was used as a tool of data collection and data was tabulated and later analyzed. In order to support the theoretical basis of the research, the propositions of Cooley’s Looking Glass Self, Labeling Theory and Self-monitoring theory were correlated with the current research. Major findings of the study were that the majority of the respondents were in very young age 22-24 years. And they were prone to do smoking as an impression management among colleagues and class fellows. Almost 72.3% students through smoking habit within educational environment, show themselves as an intellectual, a good looking and an incumbent of a modern personality among class fellows and teachers in educational institutions. The researcher found that the influence of peer group on drug usage is mostly favorable / conducive and hence the drug addicts feel comfortable within their class fellows under the influence of a drug. The results indicate that there was a strong relationship between the knowledge of the drug and its usage as an impression management. The researcher concluded that the students through drug usage build their impression for gaining high status among their class fellows