Some thoughts on the place of acting in society and personal identity
The question of acting in society is one that has been treated in some notable French productions such as “Les Enfants du Paradis” (which also explores love, morality and responsibility), and “Kean” (which explores the place of acting in the nature of social interplay), but also “Le Misanthrope” (which investigates the consequences of refusing to act in society), and more recently “Oui, mais …” (which invites viewers to consider the ways in which we all seek to manipulate others).
As I thought more about this question of acting in society (by which I mean the ways in which we adapt our manner, tone and attitude to suit the circumstances and the company in which we find ourselves), it struck me that it is quite difficult to think of a time or occasion when we DO NOT act, at least to some degree - how often are we completely open and unguarded in our dealings with others?
Do we not often consider what we say and how we say it in order to protect ourselves or consider others?
Do we not adopt certain attitudes or even personas when dealing with different people, altering vocabulary and tone to suit different situations and to adapt to our perceptions of others?
Surely we adapt our behaviour and gauge what we do and say to suit our purpose – in some situations we adopt an attitude of appeasement while in others we may be aggressive. We may be reasonable or determined, frank or manipulative – all depends on our circumstances and the people we are dealing with, but the point is we modify our conduct and speech and so, in a sense, we act.
When addressing people, we take account of a whole gamut of factors which reflect socialisation, culture, religion (or not), confidence, faith, purpose and sensitivity (protecting ourselves and/or others by choosing our words and tone with care).
All of this begs questions about identity and the extent to which socialisation affects or even creates that identity.
In the film “The Matrix”, Neo’s every move and reaction are tracked and fed into a programme through which everyone’s moves and reactions are monitored and are subtly influenced or directed by way of meetings and exchanges of ideas. In fact, it could be argued that society is not so far removed from the science-fiction world of “The Matrix” as individuals are profoundly influenced, pressured and “socialised” by the other individuals around them whose positions, feelings and ambitions we are encouraged to take in to account as we deal with them.
Although we all desire freedom and independence, we are all, somewhat paradoxically, social creatures and are dependent on one another for contact, education, care, entertainment and especially productivity. In terms of professionalism at work, one is expected to conduct oneself in a certain manner. Essentially, one fulfils a role which should not necessarily be impinged by personal feelings, conflict or questions. This may even extend to being forced to apply policies one finds lacking, unreasonable or unacceptable, but defiance of which would cost valuable employment. Again, in a sense we act.
Imagine the consequences if an individual did not take others in to account and behaved in a selfish or arrogant manner to the detriment of others. Might he/she not be considered bizarre or even a deviant and be rejected by society? Or might he/she be considered a leader? This may well depend on the degree of deviant behaviour and the consequences for others.
“Success” in society is essentially about balance – most of us want to feel valued and validated, but to have value the “I” or the individual must have a degree of confidence, self-respect and ambition, yet he/she must also display a level of sensitivity and social consideration toward others, and compliance in the workplace. If the ego is too strong and refuses to recognise the needs and position of others, the result is likely to be rejection and failure. Yet if there is a lack of confidence, self-respect and ambition in the individual, this may lead to over-compliance to others who are willing to assert themselves, and perhaps even mental health problems.
In order to cope with some of the stresses which can result from daily life, some may even resort to adopting a persona, distancing themselves from direct and open contact with others by adopting a set of desired and considered responses they would like to produce by nature, and with time this persona may even become the norm. After all, was it not Aristotle who pointed out we are what we do habitually, so if we set out to adopt habits, we will eventually become that which we do habitually.
Of course, there are those who
act consciously, deliberately and professionally, and they also have a role in
society. Authors and actors may work to distil, capture and encapsulate human
experience, emotion, ambition, fulfilment, morality, religion, social pressure,
respect etc., etc., and at their best, these authors and actors help us
recognise human nature and characteristics, revealing the workings of the human
mind and the workings of the society we unite to create. Artists of this type can
achieve their aims while being entertaining, thrilling and amusing, or while
inviting us to reflect on ourselves.
My thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
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