Identity as narrative
jill/txt, reading Charlotte Hägström’s chapter for her class’s World of Warcraft anthology, reported on this quote from Giddens:
A person’s identity is not to be found in behavious [sic]. Nor – important though this is – in the reactions of othersm [sic] but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going. (Giddens 1991:54; emphasis his)
This is most likely a quote from Anthony Giddens, who is well-known for his theory of structuration, which looks at how human agency and social life interact with each other.
I wonder how one separates one’s behaviors over time from the narrative they create, unless as David Gauntlett writes concerning Giddens’ thoughts:
Self-identity, then, is not a set of traits or observable characteristics. It is a person’s own reflexive understanding of their biography. Self-identity has continuity – that is, it cannot easily be completely changed at will – but that continuity is only a product of the person’s reflexive beliefs about their own biography (Giddens 1991: 53).
So, what narrative(s) is being maintained by our websites and blogs?
