In this narrative autoethnography, I write about and analyze my experiences with depression in order to understand how my identity is socially constructed within that context. Through thematic analysis, I use Goffman's (1963) identity theory as a sensitizing concept. This thesis extends the literature on the issues of identity and major depressive disorder by suggesting my attempts at passing as normal essentially enable me to seek out social interactions which may help me to feel accepted and less likely to continually self-stigmatize myself with depression. This thesis extends and complexifies Goffman's identity theory in several important ways: it teases out the concept from within--from the point of view of the person; it contextualizes it within a stigmatizing condition; it illustrates how identity is not only interpersonally constructed but is also intrapersonally constructed; it illustrates how identity is fluid and transformed.
