typically there will be a standardized role forced on adolescents, namely students. Erikson thinks that the danger of this stage is role diffusion (Erikson, P.307). Young people, unaware of their roles, may run away from school or work. American families are usually rather democratic that children are given certain rights and they will learn about responsibilities. However, even though there might be less Moms in the society, social structure is more complex than before since there are the church and politics involved. Thus, in Eriksons analysis, John Henry, growing up in such community, will never be a true individualist (Erikson, P.320). Other factors that will change John Henrys identity, and American identity in general, are Bosses and machines. Bosses are the ones who stay within the law yet invade the space of others basically, they are autocrats. Machines, on the other hand, convert him into a consumer idiot, a fun egotist, and an efficiency slave (Erikson, P.323). This is why Erikson concludes that American youth, including our transformed John Henry, can only be fully aware of their identity if they know the autocratic trend and not be uniformed because of the societys increasing automation.Goffmans dramaturgical approach to understanding human relations is very different from Eriksons approach since Goffman concerns himself with the mode of presentation employed by the actor and its meaning in the broader social context. Interaction is viewed as a "performance," shaped by environment and audience, constructed to provide others with "impressions" that are consonant with the desired goals of the actor (Goffman, P.17). The performance exists regardless of the mental state of the individual, as impression is often imputed to the individual in spite of his lack of faith in, or even ignorance of, the performance. In this way, the individual develops identity or impression as a function of interaction with others, through an exchang...
