Identities and Behavior

Abstract

Since the early works of such influential scholars as (1890),(1934), and (1902), research within the tradition of symbolic interactionism has focused on the various ways the self produces meaningful behavior. While two distinct perspectives on the self and how it is related to behavior currently exist (Demo 1992; Gecas and Burke 1995), both share the general idea that in interaction, individuals seek to project an identity and consequently, that behavior reflects that identity