Negotiating Identity – Symbolic Interactionist Approaches to Social Identity

Negotiating IdentitySymbolic Interactionist Approaches to Social Identity\nAuthor(s): Susie Scott\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Polity Press\nISBN-13: 9780745669731, 978-0745669731\nSynopsis\nIdentity is never just an individual matter; it is intricately shaped by our experiences of social life. Taking a Symbolic Interactionist approach, and drawing on Goffmans dramaturgical theory, Susie Scott explores the micro-social processes of interaction through which identities are created, maintained, challenged and reinvented. With a focus on empirical studies as illustrations, classic sociological theory is applied to contemporary examples. Each chapter focuses on a key dimension of how identities are negotiated in the drama of everyday life, from politeness and face-saving rituals to secrecy, lies and deception. Goffmans ideas are explored in relation to self-presentation, role-making, group interaction and public behaviour, while languae