Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction, 2e Warren & Fassett
Chapter 6: Identity and Perception
Chapter Overview:
In this chapter, the authors discuss the role of identity and perception in interpersonal
relationships as well as in public advocacy and speech building. The authors’ begin by
laying the foundation for understanding identity and perception. Next, they build upon
these definitions by discussing the ways and which identity and perception are
inextricably linked while discussing several theories such as social constructionism,
impression management, and performance.
Chapter Goals:
Explore how identity and perception are central to communication study
Analyze the role of power and culture in the formation of identity
Apply communication theories to the study of identity and perception
Apply theories of identity and perception to public communication contexts, in
general, and to audience analysis, in particular
Lecture Outline
I. Identity and perception are formed by and influence communication.
a. Identity is a compilation of experiences.
i. Social, political, and cultural factors frame and mark those
experiences.
ii. Those factors are influenced by characteristics we embody.
b. Race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability markers are just a few of the
characteristics we embody.
i. Possession of these characteristics does not determine a person’s
experiences or identity.
c. Perception is how one sees the world.
i. Perception also is influenced by social, political, and cultural
factors.
ii. We are not always aware of the ways that our experiences
influence our perceptions.
d. Identities and perceptions are inextricably intertwined with our
communication.
i. The things we hear and see, our personal experiences, and
mediated content are all communication events.
ii. The relationship between identity/perception and communication is
co-constitutive.
II. We have multiple “selves” that shift and change as we move through our lives.
a. Social construction posits that our social reality emerges through our
actions.
i. Social reality includes our world and the social rules we live by.
ii. It is a product of our verbal and nonverbal communication.
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Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction, 2e Warren & Fassett
b. Symbolic interactionism suggests that the self is the product of the
messages that it has encountered in past interactions.
i. Language is central to this process; the way people talk influences
what they and others become.
ii. Symbolic interactionism assumes that people enact communicative
behaviors and therefore should act responsibly when doing so.
c. Impression management argues that we build an impression (or image)
of ourselves for ourselves and for others.
i. Impression management relies on cultural cues or expectations.
ii. One may manage their impression through their dress, behavior,
and so on.
III. Identity and Perception as Cultural Location
a. The term positionalities refers to where we stand in relation to various
categories or elements of difference.
i. Identity markers such as race, social class, gender, and so forth are
all positionalities a person occupies in relationship to what is
considered “normal.”
ii. Examining your position relative to “normal” can help you better
understand how you are situated in different power relationships.
b. Standpoint theory contends that we are each situated within systems of
power.
i. Once again, one’s standpoint is influenced by identity markers
such as age, gender, social class, and so on.
ii. Standpoint theory can be used to understand unequal power
relationships.
iii. It can also be used to interrupt those relationships.
iv. Standpoint theory also emphasizes methods of resistance to
unequal power relationships.
v. Dialetics can help us understand the relationship between two
opposites.
c. Theories of cultural location or positionality can be dangerous.
i. They can lead to stereotyping or the assumption that one’s
positionality determines their world view rather than influences
their world view.
ii. This is an essentialist perspective that suggests people are,
essentially, their positionalities.
iii. This perspective also can lead to stereotyping about others.
A. Stereotypes are easy conclusions about people that reduce
them from unique individuals to predictable types.
IV. Identity and Perception as Performance
a. According to the performance perspective, who we are (identity) is the
result of repeated actions.
i. Gender is one example of these repeated performances.
1. Though you are born a particular sex you enact
gender by repeatedly engaging in particular
behaviors.
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Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction, 2e Warren & Fassett
ii. These repeated actions are patterned.
A. Social norms guide which behaviors get repeated and
which behaviors do not.
B. These social norms are historical and social.
iii. These repeated actions are patterned human action.
A. Behaviors are repeated through communicative action.
B. These actions can become rituals, which shape and define
our identities.
iv. We are socially produced selves.
A. That we repeat communicative action in social context
suggests that who we are is not given at birth but builds in
relationship with other people.
B. This argument means that we do not communicate our
identity, but identity is built through communication.
v. Our identities are always in a process of becoming.
A. Our we is not fixed or certain.
B. We are thus capable of growth and change.
b. This concept of performance can be a single act or utterance, or it can be
thought of as the process those individual actions create (performativity).
i. Choosing one’s attire (dress) works in concert with the
assumptions our society has about a particular context.
ii. How we perform certain norms for vocal and verbal
communication also help to reinforce cultural expectations.
iii. Our performance of nonverbal communication (gestures) can
participate in performativity, depending on our negotiation and
reflection of how we choose to perform them.
iv. The differing expectations for men and women (for instance) in
professionalism that are stereotypically gendered in the workplace
is yet another example.
v. And, the role of power, as it relates to professionalism and
gendered expectations, demonstrate how patterns of identity serve
the interests of those who have power.
V. Public Advocacy: Perception, Self, and Others
a. Identity and perception influence topic selection.
i. Analysis of identity and perception reminds us to be respectful of
cultural viewpoints other than our own.
ii. A social constructivist perspective reminds us of things we often
take for granted.
b. Examining identity and perception can aid in audience analysis.
i. Your communication should take into account and respect many
different cultural backgrounds.
ii. Knowing and understanding who your audience is can help you
tailor your message to elicit the desired response from them.
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