Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2000
Publication Title
Symbolic Interaction
Abstract
There are two ways of reading Goffman-as a theorist of trust and ritual accommodation, that is, as a theorist of the interaction order, or as a theorist of deception. I suggest a way of making these two readings compatible, by arguing that Goffman was interested in what I call the "production of credibility." Credibility is the quality of being believable, and this quality is integral to both trust and deception. Viewed in this way Goffman explored the ways in which people make their actions convincing to other people. Although Goffman's analysis of the interaction order did not need a theory of the self, his work actually contains two quite different theories of the self: one linked to role analysis, one to his analysis of mental illness. I argue for the latter at the expense of the former. I conclude that Goffman both initiated substantive work about the interaction order and contributed to a synthesis of a theory of the interaction order and a theory of the self.
Repository Citation
Manning, Philip, "Credibility, Agency, and the Interaction Order" (2000). Sociology & Criminology Faculty Publications. 11.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clsoc_crim_facpub/11
Original Citation
Manning, Philip. 2000. "Credibility, Agency, and the Interaction Order." Symbolic Interaction 23(3):283-297.
DOI
10.1525/si.2000.23.3.283
Version
Postprint
Publisher's Statement
Published as Manning, Philip. 2000. "Credibility, Agency, and the Interaction Order." Symbolic Interaction 23(3):283-297. © 2000 by the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted on behalf of Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® on JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org/r/ucal) or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center, http://www.copyright.com.
Volume
23
Issue
3
