Goffman Dramaturgical Analysis

Many different fields throughout history have studied the ongoing question of how we become the person that we are. The question usually lies between whether nature has molded us and whether we have been nurtured in a specific way. For many centuries, the answer has been answered repeatedly. In Newman’s text he says that the structural-functionalists insist that the task of any society is to produce members who’s behaviors, desires, and goals coordinate with those of the society. It’s also important that these conditions are deemed to be appropriate for that specific society.

The center I chose to observe was the dramatic play center which is a kitchen. I chose this center because because it's a great way to observe children. The purpose of the dramatic play center is to help develop social, emotional and oral language skills. It gives children a chance to assign roles, self regulate when having to take turns and during all of this children are developing language skills.

In the latter pages of the chapter Latour introduces and includes his theory called the Actor-Network-Theory under the branch of sociology of associations. Actor-Network-Theory champions agency give to non-human and requires for them to be seen as actors and “not simply hapless bearers of symbolic project” (10). This idea stuck me as being postmodern in its formulation, due to the disintegration of human/non-human dichotomies. However, from Latour’s explanation on page 10 it is not clear exactly how Actor-Network-Theory diverges from sociology of associations. I view Actor-Network-Theory as a way to incorporate new roles that allow new figures to express their own agency. What solidifies and clarifies this concept for me is the idea of genes expressing agency. I cannot say that I have ever thought of genes displaying agency over my own body or biological components even demonstrating agency, so Latour’s commentary added an unusual perspective. I struggle to not find this concept as anthropomorphic in nature, which I hope Latour is able to clarify in later

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” William Shakespeare may have written these words in As You Like It in 1600, but Erving Goffman truly defined the phrase with his dramaturgical theory. Dramaturgical analysis is the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance. Unlike actors though, who use a script telling them how to behave in every scene, real life human interactions change depending upon the social situation they are in. We may have an idea of how we want to be perceived, and may have the foundation to make that happen. But we cannot be sure of every interaction we will have throughout the day, having to ebb and flow with the conversations and situations as they happen.

Pretend you are playing the role of a character named Jordan, while discussing Erving Goffman’s theory of dramaturgy. Jordan finally made it. Jordan finally graduated university and has been lucky enough to receive an offer for an interview at the institution that he had been working towards his entire university career, an interview at the top law firm in all of Toronto. Now it is time to prepare. It is time for Jordan to show the firm that he is meant to be there. To show the firm that this position was meant for him, he must be the best version of himself. Jordan is competing against hundreds of other university graduates, but he must show them that he is the one. Jordan’s first impression matters, he must show them the qualities that they want to see to ensure that he receives the position at the law firm.

Erving Goffman was a sociologist known for developing the symbolic interaction and dramaturgical theory perspective. The dramaturgical theory is a social psychological perspective that studies human behavior and social interaction in terms of the analogy of the theater. This perspective is also related to symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is a theory based on interaction and communication, facilitated by many different words, gestures, and other symbols that have acquired various meanings. Dramaturgical theorist focus on how people manipulate various aspects of themselves and their settings to influence how others define and respond to them. In this perspective, “the self” is constructed of the various roles that one acquires, in order to present their various selves in ways that sustain particular impressions to their audiences. “The self” is a private possession established in and reflective of an individual’s personality, which includes ones values, beliefs, motives, traits, and dispositions. In addition, a person’s “self” is acquired through social relationships and is a structurally fundamental process that may change due to various situations. As humans interact with one another they are placed in social categories based on their attributes and actions. These assessments are primarily based on ones knowledge of roles.

Structural Functionalism is a paradigm based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures (Ferris and Stein

In chapter one of Stigma, Goffman describes different definitions of the term stigma. For example in the very beginning of the book he describes how early Greeks used the term stigma. He describes how the Greeks would refer stigma to body markings of different individuals to show how they were deviant and socially unacceptable in their society at that time. Goffman then describes how in later Christianity the word stigma and body markings meant a spiritual symbol or a symbol for a physical disorder. Throughout chapter one Goffman identifies three different types of stigma; body which can be described as physical, character which is described as internal or personal, and tribal stigma which could be consider social or even cultural. After identifying these three different stigmas, Goffman then describes how there

(C) Agency is a person’s ability to make their own individual choices. Traits associated with agency include being: confident, aggressive dominant, forceful, ambitious intelligent. On the other hand, communal traits, which are traits that better the community versus better the individual, include being: helpful, sensitive, affectionate, caring, sympathetic and nurturing. According to the gender stereotype, agentic traits are associated with

The first author’s main point introduces the structuralist theory. Incorporating the ideas of Anthony Giddens the authors emphasize that structuration rejects the concepts of structure and agency and instead connects these two ideas by looking at individual interactions in a particular event and location. Using this theoretical framework the authors examine the activities

The theoretical drama play, ‘Gorgon’ written by Elena Carapetis explores the idea of females as 'the other'. This is achieved through the use of the metaphor of the same name that is used to represent the cold, harshness of one locking them self away due to their inability to express their emotions and allow the development of emotions through friendship and grief experienced by the different characters within the text. The metaphor ‘Gorgon’ refers to female who gaze could turn a man to stone with their powerful gaze. The visual text, Gorgon explores the metaphor behind its name through a variety of theoretical techniques and the interactions between the various characters, which directly influences the plays story line.

In Goffman’s dramaturgy perspective, this social interaction between the Georgia community and the media representation of Frank can be seen akin to that of a theatre performance, as the social world is known to be a setting of various fronts, performers, and spectators with the dramatization of specific and social narratives (Goffman 8, 13-14). In order for a performance to be given any certain meaning, it must be commonly understood by its audience. As such, it must be conveyed in a way that makes sense and is familiar. An example of this narrative is the symbolic issues that alluded to the anti-industrialized hegemony or anti-Semitic values held at the time by the community of Georgia. The conception of the performance must follow a narrative of what is believed to be the reality within current contemporary society.

With the development of modern technologies, millions of individuals are constantly connected with the digital world, where some individuals may correlate social media platforms as real life. However, it is reasonable to state that due to the vulnerability of teenagers and their difficult transformations, both mentally and physically, social media could have various influences on teenagers, that including low self-esteem. Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory can help explain how one’s identity development is framed while on these social sites as well as while offline. Using collected data, qualitative methods have shown that such things like surveys that are randomly sampled can help approach this link between social media and an individual's sense of self. Although there were no significant relations identified, results indicate that social media platforms can possibly have a negative effect on individuals sense of self.

Goffman was the first to introduce the topic of dramaturgy in his work. Dramaturgy is his idea that life is a play. The people are actors and the every day world around us is our stage. (1959, p.13) He uses the image of a theatre performance to express the behaviour of people in everyday social interactions. Although not always aware of it, every individual in a social situation is assigned a role in the performance. Every individual obtains a role in social interaction and the audience observes and reacts to the performance. Goffman discussed the three different regions of performance as the front stage, the back stage and off stage. Each region has a particular impact on one’s performance.

     There have been many dramatic plays over the centuries. Many of these plays have died in their time, while others have lived on. What makes these plays endure time and continue to be influential over time? Perhaps it is the storyline or the interesting nature of the play is what makes these dramas last. I think that it is the focus on human nature and its essential truths that keep these plays alive. Most of the plays, still enacted in theaters today, deal with social issues that people can learn from and relate to.