ABSTRACT
Harré and van Langenhove (1999) claim that who people are to themselves and others is a product of their experiences of interpersonal interactions across their lifespan. Yet, based on the notion of socialisation and acculturation within the prison setting, prisoners and prison officers (known hereafter as officers) adopt identities based on the roles and duties that they are assigned. Hence the question arises; to what extent do expectations around ‘roles’ within the prison setting lead to the development of very distinct identities. Based on the experience of imprisonment and the total institution (see Goffman, 1959), de Viggiani (2012) argues that prisoners take on a prison identity and perform roles that are adapted to socially align themselves with other prisoners. The same can also be said for staff, as they too are required to adopt a specific role and identity when entering the prison; namely focusing on supervising, managing and controlling prisoners.
