Hall vs. Goffman
Goffman (1959) defines identity in a metaphoric manner as a type of theatrical performance that is shaped by the motives of the actor and the audience. Thus, person's identity is dependent on the social and relational aspects of the situation. There is degree as to how much someone actually believes that the performance one is giving represents reality. At one extreme, a person/performer believes whatever they are doing represents reality and at the other extreme the performer has no belief at all that their actions stand for anything sincere or real. Goffman's analogy is an attempt to relay the notion that identity is social in nature and a social construction.
A central concept in Goffman's analogy is the concept of front, the standardized expressive equipment that people use to define situations in a fixed way. There are several components of a front: The setting represents the environmental parts of expressive equipment. The personal front is other items of expressive equipment such as looks, race, sex, speech patterns, etc. The appearance consists of those aspects that relay social status. Manner relates to those aspects of communication that that tell of others the type roles the performer expects to play in a situation. The appearance is a relatively changeless condition that signifies who we are; the manner is how we want to be perceived during a specific situation.
Actions in the presence of others are undertaken not for their intrinsic sake, but with the reactions of others in mind. The actor typically dramatizes their actions highlighting and emphasizing whatever messages/impressions they most want to convey to their audience. With respect to the actual acting, people such as physicians or police have no problem with this dramatization, whereas those in other professions may face more difficulty. When this happens there can be a crisis concerning...
Identity The symbolic interactionist Goffman (1959) views identity in much the same way as behavioral psychologists viewed personality: personal identity is dependent on: (1) the audience (environment), and (2) the basic motives of the "performer." Goffman uses a metaphor for how one presents himself in everyday life as a sort of an actor who can be "sincere" in that they believe in the impressions their performances elicit, or "cynical" in that
Chokshi, Carter, Gupta, and Allen (1995) report that during the critical states of emergency, ongoing intermittently until 1989, a low-level police official could detain any individual without a hearing by for up to six months. "Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after gruesome acts of torture" Those who were tried were sentenced to death, banished, or imprisoned for life" (Chokshi, Carter, Gupta, & Allen, ¶ 6). The enactment
The complexity of the issue is underscored by the attempts to not discuss the issue on the larger political stage. This is supported by the presentation of race issues as being historical in nature. The inherent suggestion is that at present these issues no longer exist. As long as identity construction is anchored in the political and cultural dynamic then historical antecedents will remain relevant to the discussion and
Expression of Distinct Group Identities Social Identity Theory Laboratory Report Simultaneous Expression of Distinct Group Identities Social identity theory holds that an individual's self-esteem is tied to the groups they belong to and accordingly view themselves as having group traits. The existence of group identity was investigated in the present study by interviewing queued drivers after they experienced a suspected outgroup intrusion into the petrol queue ahead of them. Socioeconomic status, in terms
Carl Rogers' Theory of Personality Compared to Those of Erik Erikson? Over the past century or so, a number of psychological theorists have provided new ways of understanding human development over the lifespan, including Carl Rogers, Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget. Although these theorists share some common views concerning how people develop over time, they differ in other ways with regards to what forces tend to be the most salient
Greidanus' Preaching Christ from the Old Testament and Merrill's Everlasting Dominion: A Theology of the Old Testament may be compared and contrasted on the grounds that both approach the Old Testament Scriptures, though each does it a different and unique way. Greidanus' method of examining the Old Testament is to approach it from the perspective of the New Testament -- namely, to show how Christ is evident all throughout the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now