WE WRITE CUSTOM ACADEMIC PAPERS

100% Original, Plagiarism Free, Tailored to your instructions

Order Now!

In defense of masks by Kenneth Gergen

In defense of masks by Kenneth Gergen
Project description
essay question: what is Gergen’s thesis regarding the idea of “a coherent sense of identity” versus the idea of multiple identities represented by masks? Do you agree
with his position? Be sure to support your position with concrete example; these examples may come from your personal experience and observations, or from thing you
have read, including material from this course.(be specific in the examples and point out agree or disagree in the first paragraph and be clear in the thesis)——
here is the reading for the essay.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius advises his son Laertes, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any
man.”Polonius undoubtedly had good intentions; his counsel to his son seems entirely reasonable, and fits our religious and moral values. But it is poor psychology. i
think we are not apt to find a single basic self to which we can be true.
Writer from poet Alexander Pope to sociologist Erving Goffman have been alternately impressed and irritated by the use of masks in social life.Psychologists like Erik
Erikson speak of self-alienation, a depressed feeling of estrangement from the masks of identity that society forces on the individual. Such critics and psychologists
have been working on two assumptions: that it is normal for a person to develop a firm and coherent sense of identity, and that it is good and healthy to do so, and
pathological not to. My research over the past few years has led me to question both of these assumptions very seriously. I doubt that people normally develop a
coherent sense of identity, and believe that, to the extent that they do, they may experience severe emotional distress.
My colleagues and i designed a series of studies to explore the shifting masks of identity, hoping to document the shifts in an empirically reliable way. we wanted to
find the factors that influence the individual’s choice of masks; we were interested in both outward appearances and in ward feeling of personal identity. For
instance, in one experiment a woman whom we identified as a clinical trainee interviewed eighteen female college students. She asked each student a variety of
questions about her background, then sixty questions about how she saw herself. Every time that the student gave a self-evaluation that was more positive than the
norm, the interviewer showed subtle sign of approval: She nodded her head, smiled, occasionally spoke agreement. Conversely, she would shake her head, frown, or speak
disagreement. It became clear to the student that the trainee took a very positive view of her. As a result of this procedure, the students’ self-evaluations became
progressively more positive. This increase was significantly greater than the minimal change that occurred in the control condition, a parallel series of interviewers
in which eighteen other students received no feedback from the trainee.
This finding demonstrates that it is easy to modify the mask of identity, but it says little about underlying feelings. Did the young women think they were misleading
the interviewer—telling her one thing while very secretly believed something else? After the interview, to check on their private evaluations of themselves, we asked
the students to undertake honest self-ratings that were not be seen by the interviewer. Comparing these self-ratings to those taken in other circumstances a month
earlier, we found significant increases in the self-esteem of students who had receiver the positive feedback; we found no such increases in control condition. One
student in the experimental group told me later: ” You know, it is very strange; I spent the rest of the day whistling and singing. Something about that interview
really made me happy.
we also studied the relationship between masks and motives in several experiments, most of them based o approval-seeking. Carl Rogers pointed out that the warm regard
of others is vital to feelings of self-regard and hence to feeling of personal worth. So we asked: How do individuals present themselves when they want to gain the
approval of others? In experiments designed to answer this question, we varied the characteristics of the other in systematic ways. The other person might be senior to
the subject in authority, or junior; open and revealing, or closed and remote; a stern taskmaster or an easygoing boss. when an individual seeks approval from this
diverse range of personalities, he or she adopts wholly different masks or public identities. When people are not seeking approval, their self-presentations are much
different in character. Taken together, our experiments document the remarkable flexibility of the self. We are made of soft plastic, and molded by social
circumstances. But we should not conclude that all of our relationships are fake: Subjects in our studies generally believe in the masks they wore. Once donned, the
mask becomes reality.
i believe we must abandon the assumption that normal development equips the individual with a coherent sense of identity. In the richness of human relations, a person
receives varied messages about who he is. Parents, friends, lovers, teachers, kin, counselors, acquaintances all behave differently toward us; in each relationship, we
learn something new about ourselves, and, as the relations change, so do the messages. The lessons are seldom connected and they are often inconsistent. In this light,
the value that society places on a coherent identity is unwarranted and possibly detrimental. It means that the vegetarian must worry about cravings for bacon, the
commune dweller about cravings for a ride in a Benz, the husband or wife about fantasies of infidelity. All of us are burdened by the code of coherence, which demands
that we ask: How can i be X if i am already Y, its opposite? We should ask instead: what is causing me to be X at this time? We may be justifiably concerned with
tendencies that disrupt our preferred modes of living and loving, but we should not be anxious, depressed, or disgusted when we find a multitude of interest,
potentials, and selves.
The mask may be not symbol of superficiality that we have thought it was, but instead the means of realizing our potential. Walt Whitman writes: ” Do i contradict
myself? Very well then, I contradict myself.(i am large. i contain multitudes.)
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT ?

Our Service Charter

  1. Excellent Quality / 100% Plagiarism-Free

    We employ a number of measures to ensure top quality essays. The papers go through a system of quality control prior to delivery. We run plagiarism checks on each paper to ensure that they will be 100% plagiarism-free. So, only clean copies hit customers’ emails. We also never resell the papers completed by our writers. So, once it is checked using a plagiarism checker, the paper will be unique. Speaking of the academic writing standards, we will stick to the assignment brief given by the customer and assign the perfect writer. By saying “the perfect writer” we mean the one having an academic degree in the customer’s study field and positive feedback from other customers.
  2. Free Revisions

    We keep the quality bar of all papers high. But in case you need some extra brilliance to the paper, here’s what to do. First of all, you can choose a top writer. It means that we will assign an expert with a degree in your subject. And secondly, you can rely on our editing services. Our editors will revise your papers, checking whether or not they comply with high standards of academic writing. In addition, editing entails adjusting content if it’s off the topic, adding more sources, refining the language style, and making sure the referencing style is followed.
  3. Confidentiality / 100% No Disclosure

    We make sure that clients’ personal data remains confidential and is not exploited for any purposes beyond those related to our services. We only ask you to provide us with the information that is required to produce the paper according to your writing needs. Please note that the payment info is protected as well. Feel free to refer to the support team for more information about our payment methods. The fact that you used our service is kept secret due to the advanced security standards. So, you can be sure that no one will find out that you got a paper from our writing service.
  4. Money Back Guarantee

    If the writer doesn’t address all the questions on your assignment brief or the delivered paper appears to be off the topic, you can ask for a refund. Or, if it is applicable, you can opt in for free revision within 14-30 days, depending on your paper’s length. The revision or refund request should be sent within 14 days after delivery. The customer gets 100% money-back in case they haven't downloaded the paper. All approved refunds will be returned to the customer’s credit card or Bonus Balance in a form of store credit. Take a note that we will send an extra compensation if the customers goes with a store credit.
  5. 24/7 Customer Support

    We have a support team working 24/7 ready to give your issue concerning the order their immediate attention. If you have any questions about the ordering process, communication with the writer, payment options, feel free to join live chat. Be sure to get a fast response. They can also give you the exact price quote, taking into account the timing, desired academic level of the paper, and the number of pages.

Excellent Quality
Zero Plagiarism
Expert Writers

Instant Quote

Subject:
Type:
Pages/Words:
Single spaced
approx 275 words per page
Urgency (Less urgent, less costly):
Level:
Currency:
Total Cost: NaN

Get 10% Off on your 1st order!