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1. Grace Ong
Dr. Nelson
Honors Research & Writing
28 April 2016
A Psychosocial Analysis of How First Impressions are Overcome as seen in
Austen’s ​Pride and Prejudice ​and Contemporary Situations
Abstract
An initial impression influences interpersonal relationships and the interpretation of later information,
and thus making first impressions practically impossible to undo. Jane Austen’s ​Pride and Prejudice
was originally intended to be titled “First Impressions” because of this prevalent theme greatly
influencing the relationships within the characters of the story. This study first introduces the
psychology of a first impression and analyzes the role of impressions within the societies of ​Pride and
Prejudice ​and modern humanity. It then goes on to compare positive and negative changes in first
impressions and how the two societies have demonstrated the overcoming of first impressions through
three elements: surprise, a pivot in character, and time. Overcoming first impressions through the
element of surprise functions as a method of preparation for an individual to effectively deal with a
sudden occurrence and the consequence of an event. Overcoming first impressions through a pivot in
one’s character is simply demonstrating a different side of one’s usual character. Finally, overcoming
first impressions through the effect of time takes into account the gradual changes that eventually lead
to a change in impression. This paper shares examples of these three ideas exhibited in the midst of a
modern day setting as well as the society of ​Pride and Prejudice​. Overall, this psychosocial analysis
seeks to understand the effects of first impressions in the two societies and how its potentially lasting
effects have been and can be overcome.

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A Psychosocial Analysis of How First Impressions are Overcome as seen in
Austen’s ​Pride and Prejudice ​and Contemporary Situations
INTRODUCTION
Forming a first impression is judging a book by its cover, and humans do a very good
job at that. Within a tenth of a second of looking at a stranger’s face, measures of
attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness are judged and
impressions are formed (Gregoire). These initial impressions influence interpersonal
relationships and the interpretation of later information thus making first impressions
important and difficult to undo (Tetlock 285).
There is a significant range of possibilities in which a person can encounter another
person for the first time and form an impression. Such possibilities include the workplace,
school, a cafe, a party, and social media. School and the workplace are perhaps the most
natural form of meeting new people. For impressions to form, real-life interaction is not a
necessary requisite. As the use of social media continues to rise, the majority of first
impressions today are simply made over an electronic screen. Whether it is through
face-to-face conversation or via cyberspace, impressions are incredibly powerful; they can
make or break an individual. A job interviewer's decision can be made the minute the
interviewee steps into the room. Web sites such as Tinder, Match, and eHarmony, allow
people to connect with or even meet their future spouse without face-to-face interaction. This
all begins through the judging of a photograph or profile page.
Jane Austen’s ​Pride and Prejudice​, on the other hand, involves a very different
approach to getting to know other people. Set in the early eighteen hundreds, the novel
suggests various means in which it was common at that time for people to meet each other

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(Sheehan). Some of these include walking around the neighborhood, going to town, dancing
at a ball, or meeting through family acquaintances. The novel was originally intended to be
titled “First Impressions” because of this prevalent theme asserting a huge influence on the
relationships within the characters of the story (Walters).
"From the very beginning--from the first moment, I may say--of my acquaintance
with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your
conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the
groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a
dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in
the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry" (Austen 99).
This famous quote from the novel is the representation of the protagonist’s impression of
another character. The two characters first meet at a ball, but later get more acquainted as
their paths somehow frequently cross. The protagonist’s initial impression shapes the manner
of the two characters’ future interactions. By examining the dynamics between the two
characters, the initial negative impression causes subsequent interactions to be colder and less
amiable. Yet, through persevering circumstances, the impression is eventually changed. This
is only one out of many examples of how the theme of first impressions and overcoming
them is prevalent in the book. ​Pride and Prejudice​ explores many other scenarios which will
be discussed later on.
Despite its enduring effects, a first impression is mouldable; a second impression can
compensate for the first. Furthermore, a good opinion gone sour can be recovered, and the
same goes for the reverse. The society of ​Pride and Prejudice​, as well as modern situations,
demonstrate the overcoming of these first impressions, yet it is not so easily done. Although
first impressions are impossible to redo, they can certainly be overcome through the element

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of surprise, by a pivot in character, or simply over the course of time, as shown in Jane
Austen’s ​Pride and Prejudice​ as well as in modern psychological research.
FIRSTIMPRESSIONS
An impression is the virtual instant creation of one’s beliefs and evaluations of other people.
It is made in 100 milliseconds of viewing a person’s face. From there, one may judge the
individual’s character and likability, trustworthiness and aggressiveness, and attractiveness
and competence (Gregoire).
The Psychology. ​In social psychology, person perception is an important process related to
impression formation. It refers to the different mental processes used to form impressions of
other people which include selection, organization, and interpretation (Cherry).
The first step of the perception process is selection which is simply the selection of
stimuli in the environment. It involves the focusing on certain incoming sensory information
which is most often unconscious but can be intentional. Selected information is based on
salience, what is most noticeable or important in the given context. People tend to focus
attention on things that are salient, and the attractive subject can be abstract, like a concept, or
concrete, like an object. In addition, the selected information could be a familiar stimulus or
something new (Boundless and Communication and Perception). An example of a familiar
stimulus would be the sound of a friend’s voice in a room or the smell of a family member’s
perfume. Being attracted to a new stimulus would be like noticing a really nice pair of shoes
you wish to buy at the mall.
Once a stimulus in the environment is selected, a series of reactions are set off in the
human brain which takes on the second step of the perception process—organizing
information based on innate and learned cognitive patterns (Communication and Perception).

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The organization starts with the activation of sensory receptors which are one’s touch, taste,
smell, sight, and hearing. These receptors then send messages to the brain where a percept, a
mental representation of the stimulus, is constructed (Boundless). This finally allows the
brain to sort the perceived information into patterns mainly by proximity, similarity, and
difference (Communication and Perception). The brain tends to group items based on these
three structures.
Organization by proximity suggests that things closer together go together. For
example, say a man and a woman were standing together in a video interview. Although
nothing is known about them, viewers may make the assumption that the two are a married
couple. These viewers used a basic perceptual organizing cue to group the man and the
woman together simply because of their close physical proximity to each other.
People also group things together based on similarity—things that look or act similar
belong together.​ ​This could mean that if two people shared the same physical appearance, not
necessarily facial structure, people may assume the two are related. An example of this would
be a situation where three girls of similar skin color have similar hairstyles and all wear
glasses, some may assume they are all siblings. Simply by the fact that three girls look
similar, a judgement is made that they are related.
In terms of difference, people tend to think the opposite from similarity where what
looks or acts differently from the rest does not belong together with the group. At times,
making assumptions based on differences can be embarrassing, if not offensive. Such
circumstances could be based on racial or cultural stereotypes.
Compared to selection and organization, the interpretation step is much more
deliberate and conscious. Once the brain has received and organized the information, it then
assigns meaning to these experiences (Boundless). The information is being interpreted in a

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way that makes sense through mental structures known as schemata.​ ​These schemata function
as databases of stored, related information which are used to interpret new experiences.
Additionally, they are used to interpret the behavior of others and form impressions of their
character. People have schemata about individual, groups, places, and things, and they filter
perceptions made before, during, and after interactions. Simply put, schemata help with the
interpretation of the world as they are being retrieved and executed (Communication and
Perception).
During initial interactions, theorists argue that humans form a perception of the future
relationship with the other person and decide how costly or rewarding it would be. This
occurs as the initial conversation is carried out, and a positive or negative judgement about
forming a potential relationship is made. If positive judgements are formed, then more
communication will be initiated and more information is sought. Conversely, if a negative
judgement is formed, future communication will most likely be restricted (Horan). This can
be a contributing factor to the primacy effect which demonstrates that the “information
presented early in a sequence has more influence on final judgements than information
presented late in the sequence” (Tetlock 286). The primacy effect gives suggestions on why
first impressions are so significant and lasting. A good first impression initiates more
communication. By seeking more information, one may get to know the other better and
result in a positive friendship. On the other hand, a bad first impression restricts any desire
for further interaction or information thus causing a relationship to remain distant or negative.
Evidently, first impressions matter. They have the ability to shape future interactions and
relationships and prove the primacy effect to be true.
In terms of impression bias, according to a study at the University of British
Columbia analyzing the positivity and accuracy of impression formation based on an

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individual’s physical appearance, people do judge a book by its cover, and more physically
attractive people are seen more positively and more accurately. Many other studies have
shown that what humans consider more beautiful, we also see as more attractive. However,
the accuracy comes from the fact that humans tend to pay more attention to those who are
more attractive. This leads to the more beautiful people being more accurately perceived.
In conclusion, impressions are based on schemata, the database of stored experiences.
These stored experiences can be either positive or negative. Future interactions between the
two individuals can be influenced by the initial positive or negative impression. However, as
humans continue to encounter new people as well as already known acquaintances, their
perceptions of these people can change. Such happenings are common throughout society.
Pride and Prejudice. ​The famous novel by Jane Austen focuses on a plot that largely involves
the roles of impressions and biases. The title itself gives a hint. However, this novel was
originally titled “First Impressions” which further demonstrates the significance of
impressions within the story.
Pride and Prejudice​ is well known for its dynamic characters. Many different
impressions are formed between these characters and act as a basis for their relationships.
Through the novel’s characters, Jane Austen illustrates the possible consequence of
relationships depending largely on their first impression—misjudgement. In the novel, she
also shows that it is possible for an individual's true personality to be overtly revealed in a
first impression.​ ​The significant relationships involving misjudgement occur between Mr.
Darcy and Lizzy Bennet, Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Wickham, as well as Mr. Darcy and Jane
Bennett. These three relationships are based on an inaccurate first impression. The most

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significant relationship based on an accurate first impression is the one between Mr. Bingley
and Jane Bennet.
The plot of ​Pride and Prejudice​ revolves around a family of five sisters—Jane
Bennet, Lizzy (Elizabeth) Bennet, Kitty Bennet, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet—living in
VIctorian England with their mother who is in a hurry to marry them off.
The first introduction in the novel is Mr. Bingley’s. The story begins with the family
receiving news of a new gentleman in town. This new gentleman, Mr. Bingley, is known to
be a very pleasant man of great fortune: “good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant
countenance, and easy unaffected manners” (Austen 6).​ ​Upon his arrival, a ball is thrown to
have him acquainted with the community. Mrs. Bennet seizes this opportunity to hopefully
have one of her five daughters married to Mr. Bingley.​ ​Consequently, between Mr. Bingley
and Jane Bennet, it is said to be love at first sight. “She is the most beautiful creature I ever
beheld!”, declares Mr. Bingley at the ball (Austen 7). He dances with Jane twice; an act like
this is considered a true honor as it suggests that he finds her attractive. It is evident that the
relationship between Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley is one that begins with a positive first
impression. Their relationship is also based on an accurate first impression. All that Mr.
Bingley is known for and appears to be a sensible pleasant man is really true. “He is just what
a young man ought to be,” Jane expresses to Lizzy about just how much she admires Mr.
Bingley, “sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manner!—so much
ease, with such perfect good breeding!” (Austen 8). This clearly builds romance between the
two characters and their relationship becomes one of the plot’s main driving forces.
Mr. Darcy’s first introduction occurs at the ball as he enters as Mr. Bingley’s good
friend. Although a fine looking man, known to be tall, handsome, and “having ten thousand a

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year,” the crowd is quick to overlook his outer appearance and financial position as he
possesses a great personality defect (Austen 6).
“The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he
was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration
for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his
popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above
being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from
having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be
compared with his friend” (Austen 6).
Proud and disagreeable, this is the impression that Lizzy Bennet initially takes on Mr. Darcy
owing to the fact that her first encounter with Mr. Darcy is not the most pleasant. At the ball,
she overhears a conversation between Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. When Mr. Bingley
suggests to Mr. Darcy that he should dance with Lizzy—“sitting down just behind you, who
is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable”—Mr. Darcy’s prejudice against those with less
money or of a lower class prompts him to refute saying, “she is tolerable; but not handsome
enough to tempt me” (Austen 7). Mr. Darcy’s remarks about Lizzy immensely hurt her pride
and leads her to declare that Darcy is the “most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth
pleasing”. “I quite detest the man,” she adds (Austen 8). Clearly, Mr. Darcy made a bad first
impression on Lizzy. Their mutual bad first impressions result from their own prejudice and
pride that greatly influences a near destruction in their friendship. However, Lizzy Bennet
and Mr. Darcy’s relationship is one based on misjudgement where later on in the story the
two realize their first impression was completely inaccurate. Their misunderstandings are not
intentional though, their true personalities are not concealed on purpose, and therefore their
relationship becomes one of the story’s leading predicaments.

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As Lizzy and Mr. Darcy model a relationship based on unintentional misjudgement,
Mr. Wickham’s character purposefully makes a misleading impression. His deception hides
his actual wicked character but exhibits one that seems kind and mannerly. At first, Lizzy’s
impression of him is favorable and is greatly attracted to him because she thinks he is “as far
beyond [the other officers] in person, countenance, air, and walk, as they were superior to the
broad-faced, stuffy uncle Philips, breathing port wine, who followed them into the room”
(Austen 40). Her initial positive impression almost blinds her to immediately trust everything
Mr. Wickham says. Whickham even prompts Lizzy to believe that he was unjustly treated by
Mr. Darcy spurring further hatred within Lizzy towards Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham’s
poisonous character goes on to not only harm Lizzy and Mr. Darcy’s relationship but also to
cause tremendous distress within the Bennet family. He is one of the most important
antagonists within the story.
This common theme of misjudgement is again exhibited in Mr. Darcy’s impression of
Jane upon observing her behavior with Mr. Bingley.
"Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any
symptom of peculiar regard … the serenity of [Jane’s] countenance and air was such
as might have given the most acute observer a conviction that, however amiable her
temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched” (Austen 101).
In other words, Mr. Darcy believes Jane is not showing enough particular interest towards
Mr. Bingley and therefore concludes that the two should not develop further romance. His
assumption is the primary cause of Jane and Mr. Bingley’s momentary break in relationship.
In all, these characters are all greatly affected by first impressions whether they be
positive or negative. Additionally, these impressions can be accurate to one’s true personality
but, more commonly, can also be a misjudgement of character. Either way, such first

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impressions have the ability to greatly impact the relationships between characters and to
drive the plot as well.
Modern Situations. ​Although ​Pride and Prejudice​ is a work of fiction dated to the mid-1800s,
the same themes of good or bad and accurate or inaccurate impressions are carried out in real
modern-day situations.
In the world today, we face very different ways of meeting people for the first time
compared to Jane Austen’s era. Instead of attending balls and dancing, forming an impression
of someone in modern situations greatly involves the use of computer-mediated
communication, especially social networking sites. The popularity of such sites has grow
exponentially in the two decades—from Myspace to Friendster, and now Instagram and
Snapchat. According to the ​Journal of Experimental Social Psychology​, it has become
increasingly likely for single adults to maintain a profile on a dating website and for
employers to search personal profiles when evaluating potential employees. First impressions
play a large role in today’s society, and making good impressions is crucial in the modern
world. Furthermore, as the use of virtual communication continues to spread, many important
“real world” social activities are now occurring on the internet (Weisbuch, Ivcevic, and
Ambady). With just an internet connection, one’s person can be judged based solely on his or
her online persona.
In their examination of correspondence between web-based and interaction-based or
“real world” social perception, Weisbuch and others concluded that despite conscious
impression management being more likely on personal websites, people generally exhibit
consistency across all channels of communication. Therefore, an interaction-based
impression and a web-based impression share important social analogies in spite of the fact

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that people can spend hours deliberately constructing an online profile while face-to-face
interaction occurs in real time and requires spontaneous behavior. On top of that, their studies
show that first impressions formed from personal web pages not only correspond with
impressions formed face-to-face, but they also “provide perceivers with valid information
about the web page authors’ spontaneous likability in ‘real life’” (Weisbuch, Ivcevic, and
Ambady). In other words, web-based impressions can serve as a tool to select favorable
dates, friends, and employees because there is not a significant difference between real-time
social interaction and the online social world.
OVERCOMINGFIRSTIMPRESSIONS
First impressions are difficult to overcome because of the primacy effect—the perceptual
tendency to place more value on the first information received on a subject (Perceiving
Others). They can set up an expectation with the ability to influence the interpretation of later
information. However, the society of ​Pride and Prejudice ​gives proof that first impressions
are not everything. Likewise, modern humanity has demonstrated the ability to overcome first
impressions through psychological research as well as personal testimonies. The two
societies, both fictional and realistic, overcome first impressions by means of these three
elements: surprise, a pivot in character, and time.
The Element of Surprise. ​Since the brain is optimized to conserve energy, the brain will not
re-evaluate something if there is no reason to. Therefore, a way for an impression to change is
to have the element of surprise. One cannot expect to overturn an impression simply by subtle
gestures (Clark). Surprise functions as a method of preparation for an individual to effectively
deal with a sudden occurrence and the consequence of the event. It can perhaps be compared
to an alarm clock that suddenly shifts one from being asleep to being awake, the device that

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stops the sleeping stage and transfers the individual into waking up. Surprise is the immediate
moment that shifts an individual’s first impression into another opinion. It causes the
individual to momentarily assume a blank state of mind (Izard 177). The element of surprise
is encountered in many contexts of society including the fictional setting of ​Pride and
Prejudice​. Examples are Mr. Darcy’s unexpected marriage proposal or the alarming news of
Wickham’s elopement with Lydia in Jane Austen’s novel. As a result of these surprising
events, specific characters in the story are led to a change in impression. Overcoming an
impression is also demonstrated in present-day reality in the form of a surprise.
Within the story of ​Pride and Prejudice​, Mr. Darcy’s sudden marriage proposal to
Lizzy in Chapter 34 carries the plot to its peak. After Mr. Darcy confesses his feelings to
Lizzy, delivering one of his most famous lines in the story—“You must allow me to tell you
how ardently I admire and love you,”—Lizzy’s reaction is illustrated: “Elizabeth’s
astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent” (Austen
97). At that moment, everything she used to believe about Mr. Darcy’s feelings towards her is
rendered thoroughly false. She is appalled to learn that Mr. Darcy does not hate her, but in
fact is in love with her. She exclaims, “Why with so evident a desire of offending and
insulting me, you chose to tell me that you like me against your will, against your reason, and
even against your character?”(Austen 98). However, not only is Lizzy completely caught by
surprise by such a confession, Mr. Darcy is also taken aback as he has no expectation of
being rejected, as Austen writes, “[Mr. Darcy] had no doubt of a favorable answer. He spoke
of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security” (98). However,
Lizzy’s spiteful reply gives Mr. Darcy a different idea altogether: “You are mistaken, Mr.
Darcy, [...] You could not have made the offer of your hand in any possible way that would
have tempted me to accept it,” she said as Mr. Darcy looked on “with an expression of

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mingled incredulity and mortification” (Austen 99). Here, with two characters experiencing a
moment of surprise, impressions of each other are actively changing within them; one being
when Lizzy so surprisingly learns that Mr. Darcy is in love with her. This discovery ignites a
thought within Lizzy that perhaps whatever judgement she made about Mr. Darcy could be
utterly erroneous. Another change of impression occurs as Mr. Darcy realizes Lizzy’s
feelings towards him due to her unreserved discourse. His learning perhaps sheds light on
how he has not been acting appropriately but rather with too much pride and conceit.
The turn of events when Mr. Darcy presents Lizzy a letter giving an explanation to
Lizzy’s accusations that followed the proposal and confession of his feelings is one of the
most significant reasons towards a shift in impression in ​Pride and Prejudice​. Lizzy’s
reaction towards the contents of Mr. Darcy’s letter was nothing short of surprised. Austen
writes, “If Elizabeth, when Mr. Darcy gave her the letter, did not expect it to contain a
renewal of his offers, she had formed no expectation at all of its contents. But such as they
were, it may well be supposed how eagerly she went through them, and what a contrariety of
emotion they excited” (104). As Lizzy reads the letter, she is overwhelmed by its contents.
The letter explains in full the “two offenses of a very different nature, and by no means of
equal magnitude” Lizzy charged to Mr. Darcy the night before (Austen 101). Mr. Darcy’s
letter ignites the first idea that he may not be the arrogant and disagreeable man he is
assumed to be. Lizzy’s eventual change of opinion towards Mr. Darcy is the key element that
makes the story. In addition, as the letter clarifies the reasons behind Mr. Darcy’s sour
relationship with Mr. Wickham, it leads Lizzy’s opinion of Mr. Wickham to shift as she is
“now struck with the impropriety of such communications to a stranger”, and she sees “the
indelicacy of putting himself forward as he had done, and the inconsistency of his professions
with his conduct” (Austen 106). Furthermore, she remembers that “he had boasted of having

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no fear of seeing Mr. Darcy—that Mr. Darcy might leave the country, but that ​he ​should
stand his ground; yet he had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week” (Austen 106).
As a result of Mr. Darcy’s unexpected letter, Lizzy not only realizes the misunderstandings
between her and Darcy but also begins to think differently of him as well as Mr. Wickham.
Further evidence involving a change in impression due to surprise is when Lizzy
receives alarming news that Wickham has eloped with her sister, Lydia. This occurs very
shortly after the letter from Mr. Darcy. The letter evoked in Lizzy a change of opinion
towards Wickham, but as a result of Wickham’s unexpected execrable behavior with Lydia,
Lizzy’s initial admiration for Wickham is completely extinguished. Upon receiving the news,
her surprise is evident as she sits down, unable to support herself from her trembling knees
(Austen 139). Lizzy’s attraction to Wickham upon first impression is gone. Her idea of
attraction “on a first interview with its object, and even before two words have been
exchanged” has “ill success” (Austen 140). The “ill success” in her idea of attraction
indicates that her initial good impression of Wickham is no longer true.
The previous examples demonstrate both a positive and a negative change of
impression brought about by the element of surprise. Lizzy’s opinion of Mr. Darcy changes
from negative to positive whereas her opinion of Mr. Wickham changes from positive to
negative. In the context of modern society, it is also possible for both a positive and negative
change. An example of a negative cause of surprise that would change an impression of
someone would be the act of betrayal. Discovering an unfaithful marriage partner is a
situation demonstrating a surprising betrayal. Finding out that a friend acts differently around
others can also be surprising and leading to a change in impression in the sense that it alters
the original opinion held of the friend. It is seeing this friend in a different light. Depending
on the context, this can lead to either a positive or negative change. An example of a positive

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change would be when a normally shy person shows off a talent that changes your
perspective of them. It causes the realization that this person may have more qualities to
him/her than originally assumed. In sum, as a result of the element of surprise, impressions
are capable of changing for the better or worse.
A Pivot in Character. ​Overcoming first impressions through a pivot in one’s character is
simply displaying a different side of one’s usual character. In the context of ​Pride and
Prejudice​, for example, Mr. Darcy begins to show kindness towards Lizzy instead of his
usual aloof personality. An example in a present-day setting would be when an individual
exhibits a more favorable character when on a first date but after a few dates changes in
character for certain reasons.
The main pivot in character observed in ​Pride and Prejudice​ is Mr. Darcy’s. As was
discussed earlier, during Mr. Darcy’s introduction in the novel, he is believed to be proud and
condescending (Austen 6). He regards Lizzy’s family as a lower class and looks down on
those not on his level. However, Mr. Darcy has a change of character further along in the
story as he realizes he has not been acting as gentlemanly as he should have. Lizzy’s
comment, “had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner,” serves as a wake-up call to
him, and he is greatly humbled by it (Austen 99). Subsequently, Mr. Darcy begins to act
differently, much nicer, friendlier, and more respectful. This happens when Lizzy goes to
visit Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s home. She presumes he is out of town, but unexpectedly meets
him there. Mr. Darcy’s housekeeper reveals that he has always been a respectful man, that he
is never ill-tempered, and that he always treats everyone well. “I have never known a cross
word from him in my life,” the housekeeper says, and refers to him as the
“sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world” (Austen 125). However, Mr.

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Darcy’s shy personality causes him to take on a different character when he is in public, thus
giving off the wrong impression that he is a disagreeable man. His pivot in character causes
Lizzy to change her thoughts about him. She begins to want to spend more time with him.
Before that, she detested him and wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
Another character that demonstrates a pivot in personality in the novel is Charlotte
Lucas, Lizzy’s best friend. She is known to be intelligent, practical, and patient which is why
her decision to marry Mr. Collins who is, in Lizzy’s words, a “conceited, pompous,
narrow-minded, silly man,” is so out of her character (Austen 71). When the news of
Charlotte’s marriage arrives, Mrs. Bennett is in disbelief, Mr. Bennett who originally thinks
Charlotte to be sensible is now “as foolish as his wife, and more foolish than his daughter”
(67). Lizzy can only think of how she is “disgracing herself”: she has “sacrificed every better
feeling to worldly advantage (Austen 66)”. “Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most
humiliating picture!” Lizzy exclaims as she continues to reflect on the situation, believing
that it is “impossible” for Charlotte to be happy (Austen 66). Charlotte’s pivot of character to
Lizzy is the cause of Lizzy to not only think of Charlotte differently, but is also the push for
Lizzy to “rethink what she has been doing, to understand better those people who have not
acted as she expected they would” (317), as the critic Stuart Tave describes in his essay on
Austen called “Limitations and Definitions”. Regarding Lizzy’s change in character after
Charlotte’s marriage, he writes,
“There was a time when she would not, for the sake of one individual, ‘change the
meaning’ of principle and integrity or blur the line between selfishness and prudence
in matrimonial affairs. Now she is asking cynically what the difference is between the
mercenary and the prudent motive, and where does discretion end and avarice begin.”

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Evidently, a pivot in character contributes to the changing of impressions within certain
characters in ​Pride and Prejudice ​(317)​.
A pivot in character can certainly aid in a good second impression. However, human
brains work in a way that cause first impressions to be very stubborn. In the article, “A Social
Psychologist Explains how to Recover From Making a Horrible First Impression”, Smith
writes, “our brains are very good at ignoring information that contradicts what we already
believe, and at reinterpreting information so it fits with the belief you have." Therefore, one
pivot may not be enough to win someone over, especially when it comes to fixing a bad
impression. In fact, studies have shown that “people apparently need to commit just a few
bad actions to appear substantively changed for the worse, but need to commit many good
actions to appear substantively changed for the better” (Klein et al. 161). In other words, it is
“easier to become a sinner than a saint” (Klein et al. 156).
One experiment conducted by Klein and O’Brein illustrates this claim. Participants of
the experiment were to decide how long it took for their perception of a subject named
Barbara to change. At her workplace, Barbara started off neutrally, but would occasionally
carry out positive or negative actions—positive being her giving compliments or holding
doors for people and the negative being her cutting in line and spreading gossip. The study
concludes that in order for Barbara to be regarded as a good person, she has to do nice things
for more consecutive weeks than the number of weeks she has to do bad things to become
bad (Klein et al. 152). All in all, making a good second impression takes persistence and
accountability. Showing a different side to one’s own character for several months will be the
way to cause that shift in opinion. To make a bad second impression, on the other hand, is an
easier and faster process. However, no matter the circumstance, whether good or bad, long or
short, a pivot in character can lead to a change in impression.

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Time. ​Overcoming first impressions over time is the gradual shift that eventually leads to a
change in impression. This is perhaps the most basic method of overcoming an impression as
it is widely known that impressions are quick to form but slow to change. Consequently,
since it takes time to truly get to know someone, an impression can change over time if the
initial one is false. Additionally, impressions can change over time even without any forceful
effort.
Time can overcome the potentially lasting effects of first impressions in the societies
of both ​Pride and Prejudice​ and modern day. In the novel, as was mentioned earlier,
Charlotte Lucas is known to be intelligent, practical, and patient. However, her seeming pivot
in character as she decides to marry Mr. Collins causes Lizzy to think of her as foolish. Yet,
in the scheme of things, Lizzy learns that Charlotte’s “pivot in character” was not a pivot
after all. In fact, Charlotte’s decision is the result of her being too practical and intelligent.
She says so herself, “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance” (Austen 12). Since
people tend to grow apart eventually, she reasons, it is best to know as little as possible about
the faults of the person you are thinking of marrying (Austen 12). Lizzy simply struggles to
take Charlotte seriously and to believe Charlotte when she acts on her own principles. Lizzy
reacts to Charlotte saying, “You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this
way yourself” (Austen 12). Yet, Charlotte’s strong pragmatism overrides any desires of
happiness as she places priority in living comfortably as a married woman. Austen illustrates
Charlotte’s reasoning saying, “Mr. Collins, to be sure, was neither sensible nor agreeable; his
society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still he would be her
husband. Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her
object (65).” By marrying Mr. Collins, she escapes becoming an old maid and is able to live

20. Ong 19
decently as she believes marriage is “the only provision for well-educated young women of
small fortune” (Austen 65). Charlotte explains herself to Lizzy saying “I am not romantic,
you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s
character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness is as
fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (Austen 66). Only after
considering all of Charlotte’s reasons and visiting Charlotte’s new home after the wedding
does Lizzy finally understand and accept Charlotte’s decision. As Lizzy leaves’ Charlotte’s
home, she is happy to see Charlotte living well. She eventually understands that Charlotte
“had chosen [this lifestyle] with her eyes open” (Austen 110). In conclusion, Charlotte’s
character actually goes through two changes of impressions, one being caused by a pivot in
character, and the other is a shift back to the initial impression which is remedied over time.
Mr. Darcy’s difference in opinion of Jane in the beginning and the end of ​Pride and
Prejudice ​is another example of how time can lead a person to have a change in opinion of a
character. In the story, Mr. Darcy intentionally removes Mr. Bingley from interacting with
the Bennetts despite Jane and Mr. Bingley being supposedly in love. Mr. Darcy is aware of
Mr. Bingley’s attraction to Jane as he states in his letter to Lizzy: “I had not been long in
Hertfordshire before I saw, in common with others, that Bingley preferred your eldest sister
to any other young woman in the country. But it was not till the evening of the dance at
Netherfield that I had any apprehension of his feeling a serious attachment”(Austen 101).
However, Mr. Darcy does not consider Jane in love. According to him, she is too kind and
‘smiles too much’ (Austen 10). This is why Mr. Darcy speculates she is being insincere
because her good nature is the same to Bingley as everyone else:
“Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any
symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny,

21. Ong 20
that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any
participation of sentiment.[...]However amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to
be easily touched (Austen 101).”
In efforts to protect his friend, Mr. Darcy keeps Bingley far away from Jane in order to, in his
words, “preserve my friend from what I esteemed a most unhappy connexion” (Austen 102).
However, after some time of getting to know Jane, and hearing more about her true character
from Lizzy, Darcy realizes that he was wrong about Jane—that she is actually too polite to
express her feelings. In this situation, Jane does not intentionally act in a way that portrays
disinterest, yet she is still misunderstood. However, it is the good effect of time that allows
Mr. Darcy to get to know Jane better and correct his impression of her.
In modern society, Dorie Clark exemplifies a change in impression over time through
her experience of meeting a woman at a conference. In a Harvard Business Review article—
“4 Ways to Overcome a Bad First Impression”—she writes, “​A slightly cynical New Yorker,
she thought I seemed ‘too positive’—and therefore somewhat fake.” Clark goes on to explain
that, upon their first meeting, Dorie did not do anything to purposely make the woman think
of her as fake, but it was the woman who projected her past experiences onto Dorie. As a
result, an incorrect impression was formed. ​“​It was only after knowing me for several years
that she determined it wasn’t a façade; that’s actually how I was,” Dorie concludes.
Unfortunately, a first impression can always have the potential of being false. It takes
time to know someone, and even after decades, most cannot even say they truly know
someone. Time, however, has the power to transform even the most stubborn of opinions.
CONCLUSION

22. Ong 21
Without a doubt, first impressions are quick to form and impossible to undo. In a split
second, practically everything about a person’s character is already assumed, such as their
trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness. Furthermore, in the quick event of forming
an impression, the perception process involves three steps the brain undergoes to form an
impression: selection, organization, and interpretation. At the end of the process, the brain
assigns meaning to the new information received and stores it in a form of the brain’s
database. By having this database of stored experiences, humans can constantly refer back to
it and filter perceptions made before, during, and after interactions in order to better interpret
the world. This is essentially how impressions function.
There are many opportunities for the forming of a first impression. Whether it is
meeting someone for the first time at a ball or making an acquaintance at a workplace, the
first impression will certainly influence the nature of future interactions. A positive first
impression can set the relationship up for more pleasant encounters. A negative first
impression can cause disinterest which potentially leads to an uncomfortable relationship or
may not even lead to a relationship at all. Yet, despite first impressions possessing such
enduring effects, they are not immune to revision by reason. These reasons can be observed
in the form of surprise, a pivot in character, and time. The society of Jane Austen’s ​Pride and
Prejudice​,​ ​exemplifies the overcoming of impressions through such means. The relationships
between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy Bennet, Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Wickham, as well as Mr.
Bingley and Jane Bennett are all demonstrations of this ability to overcome. Modern
situations also propose similar circumstances of overcoming impressions through
psychological research as well as through personal accounts such as Dorie Clark’s.
From this discussion, it is possible to expand and explore areas that this study leads
to. One exploration to propose is concerning the characters within ​Pride and Prejudice​ and

23. Ong 22
how they not only leave impressions on other characters in the story, but also on the readers
themselves. Questions to ask could be, “What roles do impressions play between the fictional
characters and the readers?” and “At what instances in the story might readers experience a
change in impression for themselves?”. Surely the readers will agree that, despite the
potentially lasting effects of first impressions, they have been and can still be overcome as a
result of a surprise, a pivot in character, or simply over time.

24. Ong 23
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