impersonal

(adjective)

Lacking warmth or emotion; cold.

Related Terms

Examples of impersonal in the following topics:

  • Impersonal Verbs

  • Secondary Groups

    • Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal oriented; their relationships are temporary.
    • Unlike first groups, secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal oriented.

  • Saloon Culture

    • Music halls also offered male and female impersonators, Lions Comiques, mime artists and impressionists, trampoline acts and comic pianists such as John Orlando Parry and George Grossmith.
    • Male and female impersonators also performed, most notably Vesta Tilley, whose male impersonations communicated biting social commentary.
    • Such impersonations paved the way for "stand up," spoken acts in which a wisecracking performer would be prompted and interrupted by a "straight" partner.

  • Primary and Secondary Groups

    • Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal-oriented.

  • Flat versus tall organizations

    • When numerous levels become involved in daily operations, decision-making tends to be more impersonal.

  • Aztec Religion

    • Tētl, which the Spaniards and European scholars routinely mistranslated as "god" or "demon", referred rather to an impersonal, mysterious force that permeated the world.
    • They also trained young men to impersonate various deities for an entire year before being sacrificed on a specific day.  
    • The Aztecs saw this month as a time of renewal and involved a large festival where a young man that had been impersonating the god Tezcatlipoca for a full year would be sacrificed.

  • Organized Crime

    • Focusing more on how the operations works, succeeds, sustains itself or avoids retribution, they are generally typified by: a complex authority structure; an extensive division of labor between classes and the organization; responsibilities carried out in an impersonal manner; and top-down communication and rule enforcement mechanisms.

  • Variations in Objectivity

    • By relying solely on hard data and research, your audience may find your speech impersonal and not connect to your material on a personal level.

  • Resocialization and Total Institutions

    • These needs are handled in an impersonal and bureaucratic manner.

  • Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

    • Characteristics of these groups include highly calculated divisions of labor, impersonal secondary relationships, and strong social institutions.