Chapter 2 – Communicating Identity
Test Questions
Multiple Choice
1. Compared to prior generations, the current generation y, also called millennials,
are:
a) Less sexually active.
2. According to the book, Generation MySpace, discussed in chapter 2, which of the
following is NOT true of the current millennial generation.
a) If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Modesty is uncool; privacy is lame.
3. Which of the following is true of identity gaps, discussed by Nussbaum and Kam
in chapter 2
a) Identity gaps can be disorienting.
4. Which or following are true according to chapter 2?
a) According to Twenge, identities are rarely manipulated.
e) On-line deception is more common among older than your users.
5. In chapter 2 the tennis star Andre Agassi is discussed. Which of the following are
true according to the chapter?
a) His motto on television commercials as “image is everything.”
6. __________ refers to the qualities we understand ourselves to possess.
a. self-esteem
7. _____________ refers to how positively or negatively we view ourselves.
d. identity
8. Charles Horton Cooley’s classic belief that our identity is affected by the
feedback we receive from others is termed:
d. peer pressure.
9. A/an _________________ occurs when an expectation exists that something will
happen, and a person behaves in a way (often unconsciously) that actually makes
it more likely that the anticipated event will occur.
d. demand-action pattern
10. Anika considers herself to be a very athletic person. After a game one day, her
coach congratulates her on her performance during the game. However, she hears
positive and negative evaluations before determining which to believe.
d. Neither her coach nor her teammates’ feedback—once we have a perception of
our own identity, we do not attend to any feedback on that identity.
11. In the textbook, the authors note that in dating relationships, we tend to prefer
________ feedback on our identity, yet in marriage relationships we tend to
prefer. _________ feedback on our identity.
d. covert, overt
12. ________________________ provides an explanation for how our identities are
developed and maintained as well as how our identity is intricately linked to
group memberships.
a. The communication theory of identity
13. According to ____________________, identity construction can be viewed
through personal, enactment, relationship, and communal frames.
d. Social identity theory
14. When we view ourselves through an enactment frame, our identity is constructed
through:
d. the types of relationships we share with others.
15. Which of the following was NOT listed in your textbook as one of the conditions
that makes impression management more salient?
a. The behavior being managed reflects highly valued and central aspects of the
self.
16. The way we would greet a potential boss and try to impress her/him by discussing
ideas of ethics and company loyalty illustrates which aspect of Goffman’s
dramaturgical perspective?
a. condition of interaction
17. Which of the following is the best example of trying to protect negative face?
d. Colin wants to prove that he is a better golfer than his brother.
18. Positive face:
a. is the favorable image that people portray to others.
23. If your friend pretends not to see you stumble over your own feet as you walk
down the street together, which corrective facework strategy is being employed?
d. tactful recovery
24. The idea that people seek out relationships in order to gain more experience and
that they terminate these relationships when they perceive that their identities are
no longer growing is the basic premise behind:
a. impression management theory.
25. According to the text, the ability to manage your self-presentation flexibly in a
variety of contexts is one important aspect of
d. backstage behaviors.
True/False
26. For young people, the number of friends they have on a Facebook site is
incredibly important to one’s identity.
27. Social networkers are usually composed of people who are similar in terms of
ethnicity, religion, age, and country of origin.
28. According to your text, self-esteem refers to how positively or negatively a person
views oneself.
29. Rather than having two completely separate identities, people in close
relationships tend to merge identities.
30. The feedback we receive from others does little to shape our identities.
31. According to your textbook “identity” has little to do with the type of feedback
we receive from others
32. In good relationships a person should always help maintain a partner’s former
identity.
33. Many gay, lesbian, and transgendered people closet their real identities because of
fears of rejection and possible violence.
34. Identity incorporates expectations and guides behavior.
35. According to self-expansion theory a successful relationship depends on partners’
ability to broaden each other’s identity.
36. According to your textbook “identity” is rarely is communicated by a person’s
“Facebook” site.
37. Identity is independent of our social relationships.
Essay
38. What is the bright and the dark side of social networking on a young person’s
identity? Be sure to discuss the impact of the number of friends, de-friending, top
friends, and net checking one’s social network site.
Ans: Varies
39. Are social network sites dangerous? When? Give specifics to bolster your
position.
Ans: Varies
40. Are young people more narcissistic today than in the past? Do generations differ
in their degree of narcissism? Why or why not?
Ans: Varies
41. What is self-expansion theory? What does it have to do with the shaping of our
identities?
Ans: Varies
42. How does identity guide behavior? Why is it difficult to assume another identity
or to behave inconsistent with one’s identity?
Ans: Varies
43. What is positive face? Negative face? Why is it important to preserve your own
positive face and that of others?
Ans: Varies