Erving Goffman (1922 – 1982)

A. Biography

Erving Goffman is probably one of the most important sociologists in relation to the self. He is a Canadian-
American sociologist who played a significant role in the development of modern American sociology and
considered by some to be the most influential sociologist of the 20th century, thanks to his many
significant and lasting contributions to the field. His book “Presentation of Self” remains an important
book in this field. Goffman's approach is sometimes referred to as the dramaturgical model.

B. Dramaturgical Analysis

1. ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

This phrase was coined by William Shakespeare, he is really reducing the life of human beings to a
performance, or an acting role. Simply, he means that all human beings are players, who play their
assigned roles in every day.

2. THE PERFORMANCE

Our life, in this model, is simply a series of performances. As you can imagine, people employ many types
of behaviors in day-to-day life or can also be called as roles. Roles are patterns of behavior that we
recognize in each other that are representative of a person’s social status, for example, at home, I am
engaged in a performance playing the role of a son in which I am not just following every single thing my
parents’ want, but also shows the willingness in which I perform the certain command and the manner in
which I do so.

• Costumes - Costumes are what are most apparent and obvious for first impressions and can show
much of the internal thought processes of individuals regardless of the situation. The way we
dress and what we wear are regarded as costumes when using a dramaturgical analysis because
our attire is highly influenced on different situations. Examples of this include: Business Suits,
Doctor’s Lab Coats, Police Uniforms, and Parochial School Uniforms. If you are having an interview
for a job that you want, most people will not go into it wearing everyday jeans and a t-shirt. We
dress to impress, we put on our best costume and play the role of an actor trying to get a job that
they themselves think they are qualified for.
• Props - Props, or “Theatrical Property”, are a big part of a production; they are mainly used as
tools for actors to use and abuse while playing their roles. Props can be large or small, but no
matter what, they are key points in keeping the “story” alive. For example, if we were to look at
a play in a classroom or school and use dramaturgical analysis we would see the props as: desks,
chairs, paper, pencils, pens, books, notebooks, computers, televisions, whiteboards, and
chalkboards. All of those items are used by the students and faculty (actors) on a regular basis
that form and make-up the entire presentation of school; all these little things make-up a very
important part of a production and life itself.
• Scripts - Scripts are documented verbal replies and statements that actors say while acting.
While most of our conversations in life are not premeditated, rather improvised, people that are
engaging in conversation have a pretty good idea of what they want to say and how they want
the verbal exchange to go overall. An examples of scripts is when the person working the drive-
 through at McDonalds says “Hi! Welcome to McDonalds. May I take your order?” In the
classroom, a teacher’s script can be regarded as the curriculum being taught, the information
spoken about, and possibly the course syllabus with an outline of the class and what will be
learned. The easiest way to think of a script is to just understand it is what we are saying when
we play the part of the actor in a situation that we choose; in other words we say what we are
supposed to say in order to achieve the desired goal of the conversation and/or role.

The main elements of performance involve the strategies of impression management.

C. IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

1. THE DEFINITION OF THE SITUATION

Central to Goffman's concern is his notion of impression management. In this, he argues that all social
situations of two or more people involve attempting to persuade others of your definition of the situation.
Like for example, you are buying a speaker for music, the salesperson is attempting to construct a
definition of the situation that will suggest that you need to have this high end and pricier product because
you are a discerning individual with good tastes, while you are trying to construct a definition which
suggests that while you appreciate good music, you also have financial considerations, but you don’t want
to look too cheap either. The salesperson is showing his or her desire to manipulate or persuade you in
his or her definition of the situation.

2. Expressions and Impressions

We create impressions through what Goffman calls sign vehicles which includes both our language as well
as our body language. We create impressions by our expressions. And there are two different kinds of
expressions:

• The expressions we give, primarily the things we say, and the intentional poses, facial expressions
(smiles, surprise, etc.) and other controlled body language we give out
• The expressions we give off, which are the elements of our expressiveness over which we have
less control; the inconsistencies between what we say and what we do, the body language which
“gives us away” in some situations.

3. Situated Identities

A situated identity is the self that can be identified with the role one is currently playing. They define us
in reference to the role we are playing at a given time. We need to have our identity situated before we
can proceed in an interaction or performance. For example, if you confuse a customer in a store as an
employee, the interaction would be confusing until the situation is clarified and the role is properly
identified.

4. Stages

The front-stage of our life performance occurs in situations in which we interact with others in public or
professional settings. A waitress, for example, will try her best to keep a cheery disposition while she is
dealing with customers, even irritating ones, and even if she isn’t feeling well, whereas she may go back
to the kitchen and talk about those irritating customers. This would be somewhat more back-stage
behavior. The back-stage behavior occurs in one’s home environment where you can stretch and “be
yourself.” Finally, the off-stage region is where individual actors meet the audience members
independently of the team performance on the front stage. Specific performances may be given when the
audience is segmented as such and in this case, you are not involved in the performance.