Reflection #1

During class we spoke about the word 'identity'. I think that identity is what makes someone or something unique. Your identity is who you are internally and externally. I was born into a Roman Catholic family and even though I guess it was chosen for me, I love it and I identify myself as a Roman Catholic. I remember in my First Communion classes, the first thing you learn to say is, 'I am special. I am a child of God.' This is what comes to my mind every time someone asks that question, 'Who are you?'.

What we realised in class is that Goffman doesn't focus on those aspects of a person that are special to each one of us. He gives general theories about people and, therefore, some of them appear to be cynical. I have to say though that I agree with his idea that everything we do is a performance. It sounds as though he's trying to say that we are pretending to be something that we're not, but I think it's that we either consciously or unconsciously want to make a certain impression on those around us.

When we wake up in the morning, we decide what we're going to wear for the day and lots of thoughts go through our heads like: Where am I going? Who am I going to see? By the time we decide on an outfit at least a minor part of it is based on the image that you would like to present.

Goffman is cynical if you look at the way he generalises his ideas about people but his theories do make a lot of sense. As I read the book, examples from everyday life come to mind which just goes to show that Goffman's theories do exist.