e of information that allows for more specific definitions of identity and behavior. The process of establishing social identity, then, becomes closely allied to the concept of the front, which is described as "that part of the individual's performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance" (Goffman, P.22). The front acts as the a vehicle of standardization, allowing for others to understand the individual on the basis of projected character traits that have normative meanings. As a "collective representation," the front establishes proper "setting," "appearance," and "manner" for the social role assumed by the actor, uniting interactive behavior with the personal front (Goffman, P.27). The actor, in order to present a compelling front, is forced to both fill the duties of the social role and communicate the activities and characteristics of the role to other people in a consistent manner. This process is predicated upon the activities of "impression management" (Goffman, P.208), the control and communication of information through the performance. In constructing a front, information about the actor is given off through a variety of communicative sources, all of which must be controlled to effectively convince the audience of the appropriateness of behavior with the role assumed. Believability, as a result, is constructed in terms of verbal signification, which is used by the actor to establish intent, and non-verbal signification, which is used by the audience to verify the honesty of statements made by the individual. Attempts are made to present an "idealized view of the situation" (Goffman, P.35). Information dealing with performers secrets is concealed from the audience. Goffman also notes that a group of people with a common goal, of whom he calls teams, will cooperate in order to achieve a team performance. In fact, this is the most common case in r...
