Identity at Work: Presenting Identities

Returning to Identity

• Sociologists view identities as both social and personal.
• Social identity stems from recognizing commonalities with a social category or group.
• Individuals possess multiple, intersecting identity threads.

Identity Work

• Individuals enter social environments with various, strongly held identity threads.
• Some identities find acceptance, while others face exclusion.
• 'Identity work' involves altering one's identity and behavior to fit in.
• W.E.B. Du Bois termed this 'double consciousness': A "sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others."

Expressing Identity

• Expressing identities relies on recognition of belonging from others.
• Shared characteristics (a social identity thread) require validation; without it, identities may fray.

Presenting the Self

• Erving Goffman (1922-1982) posited that we 'manage' self-presentations and interpretations.
• Goffman saw humans as 'actors' performing on a 'front stage' within a 'scene.'
• Performances occur on established stages before an audience interpreting behavior.
• Individuals mobilize activity to convey a specific impression to others.

Constructing the Self

• The self is the sum of social identities, unique experiences (memories), and personality.
• Sociologists argue that we actively express our identities and sense of self through intentional or unintentional impression management to shape how others perceive us.

The Fluid Digitalized Self

• Online life enables conscious manipulation of self-presentation.
• The 'back stage' becomes more private, the front stage more public.
• We author the story told to others through the selective use of social media.