▁all ▁their ▁vital ▁relationships ▁dep ended ▁on ▁it . ▁People ▁were ▁comp elled ▁by ▁the ▁relations ▁of ▁production . ▁Thus , ▁he ▁said , ▁" every ▁class ▁membership ▁is ▁a ▁Char akter mas ke ▁and ▁even ▁the ▁ide ological ▁pen etr ation ▁of ▁mas quer ades ▁( the ▁' class ▁conscious ness ▁of ▁the ▁pro let ariat ') ▁could ▁not ▁change ▁or ▁cast ▁off ▁character ▁mask s , ▁only ▁trans c end ▁them ▁in ▁thought ." ▁In ▁addition , ▁Char akter mas ke ▁was ▁" present ▁in ▁the ▁issue ▁of ▁the ▁human ▁being ▁al ien ated ▁from ▁his ▁own ▁person ality ." ▁ ▁Jean ▁L . ▁C ohen ▁compla ined ▁that : ▁ ▁As ▁the ▁post - war ▁economic ▁bo om ▁col lapsed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁and ▁big ▁changes ▁in ▁social ▁roles ▁occurred , ▁these ▁kinds ▁of ▁controvers ies ▁stim ulated ▁a ▁focus ▁by ▁social ▁the or ists ▁on ▁the ▁" social ▁construction ▁of ▁personal ▁identity ". ▁A ▁very ▁large ▁academic ▁literature ▁was ▁subsequently ▁published ▁on ▁this ▁topic , ▁expl oring ▁identity - formation ▁from ▁many ▁different ▁angles . ▁The ▁disc ourse ▁of ▁identity ▁reson ated ▁well ▁with ▁the ▁concerns ▁of ▁ad oles c ents ▁and ▁young ▁adult s ▁who ▁are ▁finding ▁their ▁identity , ▁and ▁it ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁popular ▁subject ▁ever ▁since . ▁Another ▁reason ▁for ▁the ▁popular ity ▁of ▁the ▁topic , ▁noted ▁by ▁Richard ▁Sen nett ▁in ▁his ▁book ▁The ▁cor ros ion ▁of ▁character , ▁is ▁the ▁she er ▁number ▁of ▁different