Erving Goffman's Theory Of Presentation Of Self In Everyday Life
Man is a complex, social animal. Every person on this earth is a unique individual— an array of fronts, faces, and beliefs that make up the ‘self’. There are many theories on the workings of the ‘self’—or, spiritually speaking, the soul. An influential example of such would be Erving Goffman’s theory of self-presentation—a deeply faceted analysis of the human psyche. Goffman’s book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, while written in 1959, contains sociological ideas that can still be applied to modern men and women of today. Goffman argues that we, as people, play the ‘parts’ of our selves, just as actors would play parts in a play. He also believes the self is a construct of strategy and potential artifice—a theory that can be tested
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These ‘identities’ are likened to the roles an actor may play for a show. In the situation with my coworkers and I, I was playful, but also made sure to remain as professional as possible to keep up appearances. In the conversation between my brothers, Sammy attempted to play the role of ‘helpless little brother’, when in reality, he is not always like that. Goffman, therefore, defines identity as a roleplay of sorts. And because we are selective of the parts we show of ourselves to others, we only really know each other in glimpses. Goffman argues that a person cannot learn all of another person’s true ‘self’ at once. Thus, other people’s true intentions are easily misinterpreted or mistaken, due to biases, prejudgment, or incorrect …show more content…
People are like diamonds, with thousands of facets and faces. The self is fluid as water, and we are the containers. Goffman believes that the self is a product of constant shaping and formation, and that we are continually carving out the most ideal forms for ourselves. This is done by means of signals given/given off, negative and positive idealization, as well as countless other factors. We become the parts we play, take on a myriad of masks, and thus, add to the intricacies of who we really are. And that begets the ephemeral question—Who are we? When asked, “Who are you?” the natural response is, “I am
These ‘identities’ are likened to the roles an actor may play for a show. In the situation with my coworkers and I, I was playful, but also made sure to remain as professional as possible to keep up appearances. In the conversation between my brothers, Sammy attempted to play the role of ‘helpless little brother’, when in reality, he is not always like that. Goffman, therefore, defines identity as a roleplay of sorts. And because we are selective of the parts we show of ourselves to others, we only really know each other in glimpses. Goffman argues that a person cannot learn all of another person’s true ‘self’ at once. Thus, other people’s true intentions are easily misinterpreted or mistaken, due to biases, prejudgment, or incorrect …show more content…
People are like diamonds, with thousands of facets and faces. The self is fluid as water, and we are the containers. Goffman believes that the self is a product of constant shaping and formation, and that we are continually carving out the most ideal forms for ourselves. This is done by means of signals given/given off, negative and positive idealization, as well as countless other factors. We become the parts we play, take on a myriad of masks, and thus, add to the intricacies of who we really are. And that begets the ephemeral question—Who are we? When asked, “Who are you?” the natural response is, “I am