© 2019 Lisa M. Campion ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DOING IDENTITY: A SOCIAL PATTERN ANALYSIS EXPLORING THE PROCESS OF IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE By LISA M. CAMPION A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Sociology Written under the direction of Eviatar Zerubavel And approved by _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Doing Identity: A Social Pattern Analysis Exploring the Process of Identity Construction and Maintenance By LISA M. CAMPION Dissertation Director: Eviatar Zerubavel Anchored in the tradition of symbolic-interactionism, this project explores identity as a social construct created and maintained by individuals through the continuous identity work they perform in conjunction with others; an accomplishment realized through “doing.” While scholars have explored this notion of doing identity across a host of substantive areas that interrogate a diverse array of identities, much of this work has been specialized, often focusing exclusively on one particular identity. These type-by-type analyses have contributed to a vast, rich body of literature on the subject while leaving the door open for insights best gleaned through a broader approach to the study of identity, one that is not restricted to the consideration of one particular identity but rather, one that draws comparisons across a diverse range of identities. Applying this more expansive multicontextual approach, my project is designed to contribute to a more complete understanding of the topic as I explore how doing identity operates as a generalizable, generic social process. Through forty-eight in-depth, qualitative interviews conducted among individuals connected to diverse identities (i.e., chronic illness, parent of exceptional child, fan and religious leader), my work utilizes social pattern analysis to identify generic patterns of doing identity that transcend identity type. My research demonstrates that, regardless of ii identity affiliation, individuals construct, sustain and experience identities in similar ways. I identify two central concepts that are part of this generic process of doing -- identity routines and identity club membership. As part of affiliation with any identity, individuals perform identity routines, where they coordinate and implement the components of identity work in support of their particular identities; regardless of identity type, these routines are characterized by a range of intensity that reflects the investment, restraint and visibility associated with individuals’ identity work. With identity affiliation, individuals also become members of identity clubs, and the experience of club membership is similar for identity workers regardless of their particular club affiliation; individuals are exposed to similar hallmarks of identity as they experience member orientation, have responsibilities as club members, take advantage of club benefits and face potential membership drawbacks. By illuminating this generic process of identity work, my work enhances our understanding of the social aspect of identity as it demonstrates that as identity workers, individuals share powerful connections through the implementation of standard identity routines and experiences of identity. iii Table of Contents Abstract ii Table of Contents iv List of Tables vi List of Figures vii Part I: A Social Pattern Analyst’s Approach To Identity Construction And Maintenance Chapter One: Extracting Generic Patterns of Doing Identity and Doing 1 A Call for Social Pattern Analysis 8 Four Diverse Identities 10 The Identity Workers 29 Chapter Overviews 32 Part II: Identity Routines: The Generic Process Of Doing Identity Chapter Two: Identity Routines 37 Chapter Three: Appearance 56 Chapter Four: Props 80 Chapter Five: Identity Talk 102 Chapter Six: Identity Ecology 122 Chapter Seven: The Selective Association with Others 149 Chapter Eight: Identity Revelation 158 iv Table of Contents (Continued) Part III: Identity Club Membership: The Generic Experience of Identity Chapter Nine: Membership Orientation 176 Chapter Ten: Membership Responsibilities 193 Chapter Eleven: Membership Benefits 207 Chapter Twelve: Membership Drawbacks 220 Chapter Thirteen: Conclusions 245 Appendix A: Methodology 253 Appendix B: Respondents 261 Appendix C: Discussion Guide 263 References 274 v List of Tables Table 1.1: Respondent Identity Affiliation 31 Table B.1 Alphabetical Listing Of Respondents 261 Table B.2 Listing Of Respondents By Identity Affiliation 262 vi List of Figures Figure 1.1: Two-Dimensional Slicing Of Identity Space 13 Figure 1.2: Two-Dimensional Slicing Of Identity Space With Selected Identities 15 vii 1 Part I: A Social Pattern Analyst’s Approach to Identity Construction and Maintenance Chapter One: Extracting Generic Patterns of Doing Identity Identity and Doing Identity is a ubiquitous component of the social world, infusing the day-to-day activities and unceasing cognitive processes associated with living within it (Hammack 2015:11). Identity provides individuals with an essential, foundational sense of who they are (Howard 2000:367), an understanding of who others are, and insight into the ways in which the two are related. Identity establishes social positioning in the world by placing individuals into distinct categories: “I am a priest,” “She is an epileptic,” “He is the father of an autistic child,” “We are New York Jets fans.” As such, identity obliges us to engage in the constant, universal human process of classifying or identifying which groups individuals fit into (Hammack 2015:11), a process that reflects the great need people have for arranging the world around them into meaningful categories (Zerubavel 1991:5). As Zerubavel argues, things only become meaningful in the world when they are placed into particular categories (1991:5), and Simpson contends, “if each of the many things in the world were taken as distinct, unique, a thing in itself unrelated to any other thing, perception of the world would disintegrate into complete meaninglessness” (1961:2); identity, therefore, infuses our world with meaning. Identity is a construct critical to our ability to make sense of ourselves, others, and the world around us. The notion of identity certainly transcends the boundaries of disciplinary attention, inspiring the theorizing and research of a diverse contingent of scholars representing academic arenas such as sociology, philosophy, psychology, 2 anthropology, history, political science, economics and literature (Hammack 2015:12; Howard 2000:367). And while considerations concerning the multidisciplinary concept of identity are vast and rich, the theoretical foundations of identity scholarship are rooted in the discipline of sociological social psychology (Howard 2000:368). This particular exploration into the identity arena is anchored in the symbolic-interactionist tradition of social psychology, which argues that identity emerges through our interactions with others. And while the specific details of our social exchanges with others might vary based on whether these individuals are positioned as an influential “audience” (Goffman 1959), “looking glass self” (Cooley 1902) or “generalized other” (Mead 1934), the result of such interaction is the same regardless of rendition – it has significant consequences for the development of the self; identity is a social construction that is a result of our day- to-day interactions (Howard 2000:371). This understanding of identity posits that individuals are instrumental in the creation and maintenance of their identities through the work they perform in conjunction with others, suggesting that individuals do not have identities but rather, create and maintain their identities. West and Zimmerman discuss this active participation in, or “doing” of identity in their study of gender, and consider identity “an accomplishment, an achieved property of situated conduct” (1987:126). Identity does not emerge on its own but rather, is constructed and maintained through the purposeful actions an individual engages in to create and support it. Doing an identity is a continuous, everyday activity where occasions are managed so that “whatever the particulars, the outcome is seen and seeable in context as [identity]-appropriate or…[identity]-inappropriate” (West and Zimmerman 1987:135). Butler similarly constructs identity in her seminal work on 3 gender, arguing that identity is a “performative accomplishment” that is “tenuously constituted in time…instituted through a stylized repetition of acts” (1988:519-520; emphasis in original). Identity, then, can be viewed as an accomplishment, realized through the continuous performance of appropriately managed behavior. Casting the construction and maintenance of identity in a performative light such as this reflects the dramaturgical approach to social interaction inspired by Goffman. Performing, for Goffman, involves all of the activities an individual engages in, in order to influence others (1959:15). Performing serves as a means of “impression management,” as the mobilized activities associated with it are infused with signs that express messages about who the performer is, thereby influencing the way others see him or her (1959:30, 80).