Self and Identity

1. Self and Identity January 11, 2007

2. Definitions • Self – the process of reflexivity that emanates from the interplay between the “I” and the “me” • Self-concept – sum total of an individuals thoughts and feelings about him/herself as an object • Identity – the various meanings attached to oneself by self and others

3. Perspectives on Self • Situational – emphasizes the emergence and maintenance of the self in situated interaction • Social structural – focuses on the consequences of role relationships and other structural groups

4. Perspectives on self • Biographical-historical – focuses on the self as a cultural and historical construction • Intrapersonal – focusing on processes within the self and personality affecting behavior

5. Classical theories of the Self Mead: • stages of self development • play stage • game stage / generalized other • the “I” and the “me” Cooley: • theory of the looking-glass • elements to the “self-idea” • imagination of our appearance to the other person • imagination of his judgment of that appearance • some sort of self-feeling such as pride or shame

6. Goffman How does Goffman view the self and social interaction? • as a dramatic or theatrical production • the individuals are actors and in each interaction they enact a self which influences others’ perceptions of them and the situation • the self must be realized in each interaction • people generally cooperate with one another to enable a performance to continue

7. Goffman How do people evaluate others in a situation? • verbal assertions – something relatively easy for the individual to manipulate (expressions given) • expressions given off – nonverbal behaviors over which the individuals have less control • do the expressions given match the expressions given off?

8. Goffman • Embarrassment – the feeling we experience when the public identity we claim in an encounter is discredited Sources of embarrassment: • Becomes publicly apparent that someone lacks the skills to perform in a manner consistent with the identity claimed • violation of privacy norms • awkwardness or lack of poise

9. Goffman • face – the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself in a given interactional setting Types of facework: • avoidance- avoid situations or people which may threaten face • corrective- ritual interchange of moves: • the challenge- attention is called to the misconduct • the offering- participant who committed misconduct is given an opportunity to correct the offense • other person accepts the offering • person who committed the misconduct displays gratitude

10. Identity Theory • The self is a hierarchical ordering of identities, differentiated by: • Salience – the probability of activating a given identity in a situation • Commitment – the number and affective strength of ties to others as a result of having a particular identity

11. Social Identity Theory • Emphasizes group membership and belongingness and their consequences for interpersonal and intergroup relations • A person will compare their group to relevant other groups in order to create a favorable distinction

12. Identity Control Theory • Trying to maintain a view of the self • Four central components: • The identity standard or the set of meanings held by the individual which define his or her role identity • Person’s perceptions of meanings within the situation matched to the dimensions of meaning in the identity standard • Mechanism to compare perceived meanings with identity standard meanings • Individual behavior which is a function of the difference between perceptions and standard