In The Saturated Self, Ken Gergen explains that as a result of social saturation, "one cannot depend on a solid confirmation of identity, nor on comfortable patterns of authentic action" (p. 147).

According to this philosophy, we are in being drawn into a charade of constructed personality fronts. Our surrounding contexts determine how we choose to express ourselves.

Sitting in class, the student glances around at the other faces to assess the level of judgment in the room before letting a comment out of her mouth. She wonders how her words will sound after being released into the open space of the public discussion. After all, they are a reflection of herself, mirroring straight back into the center of her brain, letting others catch a glimpse of how her own neurons choose to dance. It is, after all, just a peformance.

Are we all subconsciously subject to strategic manipulation?