In the article “In Defense of Masks” by Kenneth Gergen, he claims that instead of developing “a coherent sense of identity”, people put on different “masks” that he constantly changes. Gergen believes that an individual’s development of a coherent sense of identity can make him “experience severe emotional distress”. People tend to act a certain way so they can receive the approval of others. The approval of others can bring satisfaction and enhance the self-esteem of a person but to succeed in this he must adopt different public identities. Moreover, in some cases individuals consciously wear various masks because of the situation they’re found in.
The approval of social groups is one of the factors why individuals have a variety of masks
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For instance, a doctor will act serious and professionally with his patients but at home he may be a loving, carefree, and comical husband. Some individuals are or feel obligated to act a certain way because of the setting he’s in. An example is my sister, who is a nurse, has different personalities when she’s working at the hospital and when she’s with my family and I. At home, she’s able to be whoever she wants because she’s aware that no one from her workplace will witness her true self. My sister has a bad and short temper and only people like my family are able to see this side of her. My sister says that if the patients or her boss were to view her other side then it would be an issue. Therefore, she’s only polite and friendly when she’s around her patients and her boss. In this case my sister feels obligated to act differently when she’s at work because she knows that if she was to behave the way she was at home she may lose her job. She argues that she’s not the only person in this world that does this and she’s correct. Teachers and any school faculty are other individuals that wear different masks because of their duties. Teachers in school are taught to talk to their students in only a strictly professionally manner. For example, one of my teachers from high school was very serious who spoke in a mono tone voice all the time but when a group of students found her on …show more content…
In class, I’m quiet and calm but when I’m with my friends, I’m more talkative and the reason is because I feel like during class it should be a place to learn and not to interrupt other’s learning or the teacher’s lecture. My behavior always depends on the place or time I’m located in. Like when I attend church I feel like I should be more respectful and cautious than any other place because it’s such a sacred place to me. Another way I have behaved differently was when I use to work at my old job. I have a small significant amount of patience so at my job I had to be careful and not display any sign of irritation or impatience because my boss did not tolerate any attitude that can affect
In general, my sister and I are both loud goofballs who make jokes out of everything and find the simplest things to entertain us when we are with each other. When we are together, we are both able to have a deeper sense of our “coherent identity” and do not have to wear a mask for each other because we are not trying to seek approval from each other. However, even though we know who we are, we still have to wear a mask when we leave our house because we do not want others to know who we really are. For example, when we are around our parent’s friends, we always have to put on a smile and talk very soft and polite, even though we are having a bad day and in general are loud people because we cannot make our parents look bad or give off the impression that my sister and I were not raised correctly by our parents. Another example would be the different masks that I have when I’m in class and when I’m not in class. While in class, I am quite and do not participate in talking because growing up I was told by my elders that it was always better to listen to what others had to say in order to gain knowledge and insight instead of talking and that I should only speak up when I was confused.On the other hand, when I am outside of the classroom, I become this whole different person and start to talk more. I feel that I have gotten use to being quiet in the classroom and conformed to putting on my mask everyday that it is hard for me to not wear the mask in class because if I do not wear it, I feel that I am loosing a part of who I am. All in all, this shows how when we are not seeking approval, we are able to take off our masks and our “self-presentations [becomes] much different in character” (Gergen
“In Defense of Mask,” by Kenneth Gergen he states that it is not possible for humans to find a coherent self identity without having a solution. The idea of developing a “coherent sense of identity” makes us act a certain way to please the wish of others. Gergen wants to find intentions of an individual 's choice of mask and how outward appearances and inward feelings we all come across. The author proves his statement by experimenting on people who had a positive and negative reaction from an interviewer.Therefore, the “coherent identity” versus “multiple identities” is detrimental to many individuals when they are trying to perceive into someone that they wish to become. I agree with Gergen, because having a mask hides
Identities are defined as a product of one’s natural individuation. All aspects about one’s life such as their job, hobbies, nationality, religious beliefs, and group associations, can shape one’s identity. Identities are significant because they allow us to demonstrate our uniqueness as an individual and allow us to fit into certain groups. Identities are like fingerprints; everyone has their own unique identity labeled to themselves. Although identities are unique, they can also become susceptible to conformity based on certain external factors. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Power of Context,” he discusses how the external environment molds individual’s identities and casts an influence on those, which can be used to prevent crimes. In Cathy
In Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson condemns false appearances. Paul Laurence Dunbar's We Wear the Mask also supports this belief. However, there is a difference in the views of these two works. Emerson believes that people can shed their false social appearances and live a life true to themselves and others. Conversely, Dunbar thinks these pretenses are necessary. The authors' word choices and images support this argument.
On the other hand, ideally one should be true to one’s heart, if Disney’s Mulan is to be believed. But these are neither solid pieces of advice nor wise counsel; they are at best hand-wavy, wishy-washy statements that offer no guidance on traveling the minefield that is remaining true to oneself. In fact, given the wide swath of human experiences, it is difficult to imagine a panacea effective for each and every trial and tribulation people may encounter in maintaining the integrity of their identities; personally, I don't think one exists. Just as there are myriad events, emotions, and memories from which one’s identity develops, it surely follows that there are just as many ways social norms act to compromise one’s individuality, ostensibly for the worse. Therefore, it seems that an indirect solution would best serve individuals filled and bombarded with doubt about who they really are; namely, the unwavering support of a community would allow individuals to resolve, on their own terms, their inner conflicts stemming from outward
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
"Identity is a dynamic feature of social life. That is, it is something that is constantly evolving and changing. For some people, identity can change rapidly and dramatically, of course, but for most of us our identities evolve slowly and imperceptibly" (Livesey, n.d., p.1).
A person’s identity develops from birth and is shaped by many components, including values and attitudes given at home. We all have a different perspective about who we want to be and what fits better with our personality. However, is our identity only shaped by personal choices or does culture play an important role here? It is a fact that the human being is always looking for an inclusion in society. For instance, there is a clear emphasis in both, “Masks”, by Lucy Grealy, and “Stranger in the Village”, by James Baldwin that identity can be shaped by culture. Grealy does a great job writing about the main issue that has made her life so difficult: her appearance. Cancer has placed her in a position where people,
of the changing of people’s masks between reality and illusion (Cahn 39). In a similar
When thinking about Identity, it might be easy to just say that is “who we are”, or it’s just me. An identity is much more than that though. I like to think of it as a living puzzle. There are hundreds or thousands of pieces that come together to form the complete identity, or the complete “you”. I say living because an identity grows throughout the years and even changes depending on the situation. There is a multitude of influences that goes into forming a person’s identity some of which a person chooses and others they don’t. Family members and guardians are a primary source of learning when a child is young. As a person grows, the sphere of influence broadens to include mentors, media, and school. This identity is then a lens through which
Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals one of life’s most relevant purposes that stretches across cultures and relates to every aspect of enlightenment. The novel examines the life of the strong-willed Janie Crawford, as she goes down the path of self-discovery by way of her past relationships. Ideas regarding the path of liberation date all the way back to the teachings of Siddhartha. Yet, its concept is still recycled in the twenty-first century, as it inspires all humanity to look beyond the “horizon,” as Janie explains. Self-identification, or self-fulfillment, is a theme that persists throughout the book, remaining a quest for Janie Crawford to discover, from the time she begins to tell the story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Hurston makes a point at the beginning of the novel to separate the male and female identities from one another. This is important for the reader to note. The theme for identity, as it relates to Janie, carefully unfolds as the story goes on to expand the depths of the female interior.
There are many three levels to social structure which include the micro, meso, and macro levels. The micro level is the level that involves just yourself. This is the level that people are usually not ashamed of themselves and are not afraid to admit they are gay or are not ashamed of being a minority of any kind. This level is also the level that one can best feel their identity shaping and forming. The next level is the meso level. This level involves communities such as schools, at the workplace, or on a sports team. This is the level when people often categorize others into groups. One example of this happening was in the video of A Class Divided. At this level there was a sense of community, but also clear categories separating the class. Different eye colors were perceived as ideal or acceptable and if a child did not have that eye color, they were not privileged. In the RDSJ book, Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey examine how people go the extra mile to fit in with the group standards and expectations. This for example, showed in the video What Would You Do? As people saw the kid stealing the bike, if there was nobody around people usually did not get involved, but if there was a crowd of people, more and more would come. They did this because they wanted to fit in and feel they needed to conform to the patterns of the group. The last level in of social structure would be the macro level. The macro
Have you ever worn a mask before? Maybe the mask wasn't a costume mask, but it was a mask to make you seem happy, or seem cool, or anything that made you feel like something than you are not normally. Chances are you have. Trying to fit in with the crowd, a mask is used to obtain the things we cannot reach on our own. Masks are especially common today because of the pressures to belong to the 'in'; group, or the pressures to succeed. Books, using masks, commonly show the many connotations of masks. They are used to find out what people are for real, on the inside of the mask. The imagery of masks is used throughout the book of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare uses the imagery of masks to reveal characters true emotions and to express the power of raw beauty. Shakespeare uses this imagery through all of his characters in the play, but especially the two characters of Viola and Feste.
Identity and Invisibility in Invisible Man. It is not necessary to be a racist to impose "invisibility" upon another person. Ignoring someone or acting as if we had not seen him or her, because they make us feel uncomfortable, is the same as pretending that he or she does not exist. "Invisibility" is what the main character of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man called it when others would not recognize or acknowledge him as a person.
The purpose of a mask is to hide everything that is wrong by not showing it in the slightest. Not even that makes anything better for the mask user and will NOT solve anything for them. A short-term solution will not solve a long-term problem and can make the situation worse. Characters like Avis in the novel “We Are Called To Rise” use a variety of masks to hide the variety of problems in their lives. In the novel, Laura McBride uses Avis and their use of an emotional avoidance mask to demonstrate that she purposely hides how she really feels by showing no strength or emotion.