DO WE CHOOSE OUR PERSONALITIES?

DO WE CHOOSE OUR PERSONALITIES? The philosopher Colin McGinn, in SHAKESPEARE’S PHILOSOPHY, considers Shakespeare’s view of the self. He contends that Shakespeare was a precursor of the sociologist Erving Goffman, who in THE PRESENTATION OF SELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE argued for the theatrical view of the self. Goffman pioneered dramaturgical theory, which “suggests that a person’s identity is not a stable and independent psychological entity; it is constantly remade as the person interacts with others.” McGinn says that “Shakespeare regards the self as interactive and theatrical”, and suggests that Shakespeare means that “our personality (or many personalities) is analogous to the character an actor plays on the stage.” A further consequence is that “This makes personality not a given but a choice, not determined but free.” We construct our personalities using an actor’s skills.