Verified Document

Identity The Symbolic Interactionist Goffman 1959 Views Essay

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 they're not concerned with these impressions. So Goffman uses terms like the "setting," the "front," the "manner," etc. To describe how one's identity is more or less molded by one's surroundings and one's intent (to a lesser extent as this itself is molded by the surroundings). Thus, intentions can sometimes result in a difference between presentation and setting, self-presentations may not always appear fixed, and we learn to be actors at a young age.

For Marcuse (1964) autonomy of the self is restricted by the "apparatus" of Western economic philosophies. In effect the capitalism of...

Capitalism actually limits intellectual and personal freedom in a society. All human needs are preconditioned, so Marcuse views identity is even more flexible than Goffman. The person is nothing but a "slave" to society. Marcuse does mention that there are "true" needs, but these seem to be the need to be a follower as opposed to being an autonomous creature that can decide for itself.
Hall (1996) concentrates on the importance of language and culture in shaping identity. Unlike Goffman and Marcuse he does not view identity as a finished product as much as he views it as something that is molded by historical events and the culture of the person. Of course is a major concentration is on the black experience; however, it is clear that he views identity or "the self" is a very fluid concept that is shaped by language, history, and culture. Hall also…

Sources used in this document:
References

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday

Anchor.

Hall, S. (1996). New ethnicities. In D. Morley & K.-H.Chen (eds.) Critical dialogues in cultural studies (pp. 441-449). London: Routledge.

Marcuse, H. (1964). One-dimensional man: Studies in the ideology of advanced industrial society. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective of the
Words: 679 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

L. Bean and Lands' End, Victoria's Secret, Christie's and Sotheby's, as well as used books." (Duneier, 1991, p.30) According to the first chapter of Sociology: the Core by Michael Hughes and Carolyn J. Kroehler, symbolic interactionists like Duneier contend that society is possible because human beings have the ability to communicate with one another by means of symbols. They say that we act toward people, objects, and events on the basis

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Social Construction of Illness...
Words: 345 Length: 1 Document Type: Essay

PSYCHOLOGY Psychology: Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on the Social Construction of IllnessHealth and illness are taken as social constructions, which is the essence of the interactionist approach. It means that society or its members cause circumstances and physical environmental conditions that mentally or physically disturb humans; they have no objective implications in reality. Research has presented three categories of the social construction of health and illness: the cultural meaning of the

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Media Analysis
Words: 812 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Symbolic Interactions Perspective Media Analysis Symbolic Interactions Social inequality is different from economic inequality, though related to some extent. Economic inequality is typically caused by unequal accumulation of wealth, whereas social inequality has many different forms. Gender inequality, racial inequality, caste inequality, or age inequality are all types of social inequality that may exist in a society not merely due to differences in financial statuses of individuals. People from different social statuses

Materialism From a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Some
Words: 1471 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Materialism from a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Some sociologists may center on the family tackling issues, for example, marriage, domestic violence divorce and child rearing. In addition, the sociologists may also try to get knowledge of how different cultures define these issues, and their effect on individuals and institutions. Other sociologists may explore larger social organizations such as businesses and governments analyzing their formations. In addition, other sociologists may focus on divisions

Media Analysis Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Words: 764 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Media Analysis - Symbolic Interactionist Perspective The title of the program I will discuss in this document is All in the Family. This was a television situation comedy that aired throughout the 1970's. It presented an alternative to the typical family situation comedy in the fact that the father and patriarch of the house, Archie Bunker, was categorized as a bigot. Archie's bigotry extended to people of racial minorities, gays, and

Pornography a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Words: 1039 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

So that an adult who enjoys masturbating while watching a video of two other adults having sex and sees this activity as an acceptable and in fact healthy and joyous celebration of her or his sexuality will in most cases be horrified to see a video in which a child is being forced to have sex or anyone is being raped (Lauer & Lauer, 2007, p. 44). Because an individual's

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

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