The "performance" discussed in the book is basically a part of self-fashioning. In other words, one may consciously strive for what one desires to have and freely play any kind of role.
這本書所談的「表演」，比較是這種自我塑型（self-fashioning）的部分；也就是說，可以積極主動地爭取自己想要的，自由地「扮演」任何角色。