Mechanisms to Enter a Discourse
The Social Aspects of Life
By: Laura Netti
Everyone has their own personality, mannerisms, beliefs, and traditions that becomes part of them as they grow up. These factors are influenced by the environment in which one is raised, and the influences by family members when growing up.
Has anyone ever told you you act just just like your parents?
James Gee refers to this as a Primary Discourse in his journal “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction”. According to Gee, a Primary Discourse is something one learns early in life. This then forms a foundation for Discourses learned later in life, which Gee refers to as Secondary Discourses. These Discourses are needed to interact in different places outside of one’s Primary Discourse such as school, church, and work.
One can not simply enter a Secondary Discourse. There are a variety of mechanisms in order to do so. These include, not only language and grammar, but the correct combination of acting, believing, valuing, talking, and dressing.
In Amy Cuddy’s TED talk, she explains that actions are a form of communication. She also provides evidence that standing in a powerful position will allow one to feel more powerful eventually allowing one to become powerful. She calls this powering posing. Cuddy explains that if one fakes something enough they will eventually become it. Although Gee and Cuddy describe different methods and techniques, they both provide ideas on the mechanisms for which one can enter a Discourse.
Next time you go to an interview, take the time to strike a power pose!
The Fine Line
There is a fine line between being in a Discourse and not being in a Discourse.
Gee states, “what is important is not language, and surely not grammar, but saying(writing)-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations” (6).
Here, Gee explains that in order for one to be part of a particular Discourse they must possess all the right qualities of that Discourse. These qualities create the fine line that determines whether one is or is not part of a Discourse. This is revealed when Gee uses the example of entering his neighborhood bar. In Gee’s example he enters his neighborhood bar and says to his tattooed drinking buddy ‘May I have a match please?’. Gee’s grammar (what he said) is correct, however, how he said it is wrong. According to Gee,
“It is less often remarked that a person could use language perfectly and still not make sense” (5).
Gee reveals that one can say the right thing and still not be part of a Discourse. Gee then uses the same example, but this time he says to his drinking buddy ‘Gime a match, wouldya?’, and he then as he sits down, he cleans the stool with a napkin to avoid getting his designer jeans dirty. This shows that even when one says the right thing sometimes, their actions, which Gee refers to as a “saying-doing” combination is wrong.
This example portrays the fine line of entering a Discourse. One can exhibit almost all the correct combinations in order to enter a Discourse, but if one action, belief, or even how something is said is wrong, it will result in not being part of the Discourse. This fine line depicted causes complications when trying to enter a Discourse.
Entering a Discourse: The Grey Area
Entering a Discourse is extremely complicated. While Gee’s first theorem of entering a discourse states “you are either in it or you’re not” (9), I don’t believe that entering a Discourse is just black and white. I believe there is a grey area when entering a Discourse which is why it is so complicated. This grey area is part of the process of entering a Discourse. It consists of trying to possess of the qualities needed to enter a Discourse. Gee states that
“Discourses are ways of being in the world; they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions, and clothes” (6–7).
While one might possess some of the qualities needed to enter a Discourse, and not others, they are still in the process of getting into a Discourse. This is therefore considered a grey area because it is the realm between being in the Discourse and not quite being in the Discourse. Although entering a Discourse is complicated, in order to for one to interact with society they must acquire Secondary Discourses for different aspects and settings of life.
Actions (Mannerisms)
There are many different mannerisms that associate one with a particular Discourse. A mannerism is a distinctive quality in behavior or speech. According to Cuddy,
“when we think about nonverbal behavior, or body language…it’s language, so we think about communication. When we think about communication, we think about interactions” (1:38).
Thus, without speaking one can make judgments or inferences based on body language. Cuddy describes this by providing information on the range of power nonverbals her MBA students exhibit. Cuddy states, “I notice that MBA students really exhibit a full range of power nonverbals. So you have people who are like caricatures of alphas…you have other people who are virtually collapsing when they come in” (5:24).
Cuddy describes students that are spread out, wanting to occupy space, while others try to make themselves look tiny. The differences in these behaviors reveal a difference in how the person feels. In this case, the student trying to occupy more space is more likely to feel more powerful and dominant than the student appearing to make themselves look small. These observations relate to how one might enter a Discourse.
Low Power Pose v.s. High Power Pose
Think of how you sit and what your mannerisms (nonverbals) communicate to others.
Identity
Gee states “a Discourse is a sort of ‘identity kit’ which comes complete with the appropriate costumes and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize” (7).
The role that Gee refers to in this statement, helps others distinguish whether one is in a particular Discourse or not. Therefore, in order to enter the Discourse one must exhibit the correct nonverbals, and mannerisms that connect them with the desired Discourse.When Gee explains the process of becoming part of a Discourse he contradicts himself. Gee states that “Each of these social institutions commands and demands one or more Discourses and we acquire these fluently to the extent that we are given access to these institutions and are allowed apprenticeships within them” (8).
But how does one enter a Discourse?
At first Gee states that in order to enter a Discourse one must interact with people in the desired Discourse and complete an apprenticeship. Gee contradicts himself later in the text when he says:
“You are either in it or you’re not” (9).
These ideas conflict with one another. On one hand Gee argues, you are either part of a Discourse or you are not. On the other hand, Gee says that in order to enter a Discourse you must complete an apprenticeship. This is contradictory because an apprenticeship involves being partially in a Discourse, referred to previously as the grey area.
I agree with Gee when he says that in order to become part of a Discourse you must have multiple interactions and practice in that Discourse and complete an apprenticeship. However, I disagree with his statement that one is either part of a Discourse or not. If that were the case how could one have multiple Secondary Discourses? In order to enter a Secondary Discourse there are multiple paths one can take, including pretending.
Faking it Until you Become it (Pretending)
In order for a non-member to enter a Discourse they can pretend to be part of it until they actually are. Amy Cuddy states,
“that our bodies change our minds and our minds change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcome” (15:35).
This all starts with pretending. When one pretends enough, overtime it will eventually change how one thinks, when how one thinks is altered, one’s behavior then changes, resulting in a change in one’s outcomes. This relates to being part of a Discourse because by changing what one does and how one, thinks, acts, can result in a change needed to enter a particular Discourse. Cuddy uses the term:
“fake it till you become it” (19:14).
Cuddy uses examples to show that if you fake something you will actually become it. She describes studies that show that a power pose will actually make you feel more powerful, by showing the levels of testosterone. Power posing changes the position of one’s body. This will allow one to feel more powerful which results in thinking one is powerful. As a result one becomes a more confident and powerful person, allowing their outcomes to be noticeably different. Cuddy states that in a conducted experiment, people who did power pose before an interview, had performed better in the interview than those who did not do a power pose. Therefore, changing the outcome, in this case whether they did or did not get the job.
Mushfake, Metaknowledge, and Liberation
Similarly, Gee uses the term “mushfake” in order to enter a Discourse. Mushfake is to “do with something less when the real thing is not available” (Gee 13). In other words, in order to enter a Discourse one must use what they have and what they know to pretend or impersonate, someone in a particular Discourse. By doing this, one can enter a Discourse. Metaknowledge is very important because it serves as a foundation for entering a new Discourse. One gains metaknowledge from their Primary Discourse, and other Discourses they are a part of. Gee states that a Primary Discourse is a
“carrier or foundation for Discourses acquired later in life” (8).
Prior knowledge gained from other Discourses can be used to enter a new Discourse. Mushfaking using meta-knowledge and pretending to be part of a Discourse, forces one to alter oneself, eventually becoming part of that Discourse over time. Gee states,
“Metaknowlege is liberation and power, because it leads to the ability to manipulate, to analyze, to resist while advancing. Such metaknowledge can make ‘maladapted’ students smarter than ‘adapted’ ones” (Gee 13).
This statement shows that metaknowlege allows one to reflect on what they already know and have gained from previous Discourses they have entered, and use this knowledge to alter what they need to do in order to enter a Discourse. The term liberation is used because it frees one from their Primary Discourse allowing them to analyze it and alter it in ways needed to enter different social groups in society, yet never fully altering one’s Primary Discourse.
This can be explained when Cuddy talks about power posing. The metaknowlege of one knowing that testosterone levels will increase when one does a power pose, will result in one doing more power poses, leading to them becoming a more confident and powerful person.
Both Cuddy and Gee use different terms to prove the same point. I agree with Cuddy and Gee because in order for one to enter a Discourse they must continually act as if they are part of that Discourse. By acting, they eventually start to talk, believe, dress and do other things that associate them with that Discourse. Doing this enough will ultimately cause them to start doing these actions unconsciously, without thinking, therefore allowing them to enter and become a member of the Discourse. This opens a gate to learning many more Secondary Discourses.
Combinations and the Method of Power Posing
In order for one to enter a Discourse they must have the doing-being combination of that Discourse. A doing-being combination is used when entering Discourse, because it refers to acting properly, allowing one to be part of a particular Discourse. This concept explains what Amy Cuddy calls power posing. Cuddy describes powering posing as a mechanism that can be used in order to make one feel more powerful.
This method of using a pose to feel more powerful can be used as a mechanism to enter a Discourse. In order to enter a Discourse one can simply perform postures, body language, and gestures associated with the particular Discourse. In other words, act the part. This will create what Gee refers to as the “doing-being combination”, allowing one to be part of a Discourse.
For example, if a Discourse requires one to be powerful, one can use the method of power posing, as Cuddy suggests, to make them feel powerful, eventually allowing them to become more powerful. Therefore, providing one with a mechanism to enter that Discourse. However, Cuddy’s method is not limited for just Discourses where people are required to be powerful. It can be used for a variety of different Discourses. Cuddy describes one of her students that had struggled participating in her class. The student came to Cuddy and told her she felt like she did not belong there. Cuddy responded with:
“‘Yes you are! You are supposed to be here!…and you are going to give the best comment ever’” (18:07).
As a result the student participated in class the next day and asked a great question. This example reveals a doing-being combination. As soon as the student actively participated in class, which is what she was supposed to do, and asked a very important question, it allowed her to become part of the class, resulting in her feeling like she belonged there. Every Discourse requires a doing-being combination and if one does what makes them feel the part, they will eventually become a part of the Discourse.
Challenging but Possible
Entering a Discourse can be very challenging, however, it is possible for one to enter one, or multiple Secondary Discourses. The mechanisms provided state that in order for one to enter a Discourse one must complete an apprenticeship. One must also pretend to be part of the desired Discourse until they eventually become part of it. In order to do this one must have the appropriate doing-being combination and the correct mannerisms that associate their behaviors and actions with a particular Discourse. By doing this, one acquires all the elements needed to become a member of a Discourse. As a result, one is then able to enter a Discourse.
- But why does one need to enter multiple Discourses?
- Is one’s Primary Discourse not enough?
Entering multiple Discourses allows one to be part of a variety of different social groups. Throughout life one is exposed to many different environments, and social groups in which they need to posses a particular Discourse to be accepted and communicate with that specific group. Without possessing the Discourses needed when encountering different social groups, one will have a difficult time advancing in life. These Discourses can be used for social gain or just for communicating, and expanding one’s social network. Nevertheless, Discourses are essential to life and therefore, the mechanisms in which one enters a Discourse is equally as important.
