Goffman 's Theory Of Sociology And Anthropology

Both Simmel and Goffman have greatly contributed to the development of the sociological investigation of human interaction and experiences, they have taken a science that was not easily understood and brought it to the center of attention. While using different methods to ultimately obtain an understanding of how society functions, whether it be on the individual level or the as a group interplay.

In Four Sociological Traditions, Randall Collins talks about the Rational/Utilitarian tradition. He talks about two aspects of the tradition, the first is a very Marxist-like view, talking about how it is similar to the conflict tradition in that it has to do with individuals making decisions towards their own interest, looking for advantages, using the materialistic world, and valuing things in terms of monetary gains and losses. (1994:123). The other aspect is not like the conflict theory because it has nothing to do with stratification of one’s actions, instead it has to do with making rational decisions that could bring forth an outcome that can work out in everyone’s best interest (1994:123).

Interaction is an important concept in sociology, and it has been studied from multiple different perspectives. Both Erving Goffman and Arlie Hochschild have made notable contributions to the sociological study of interaction. According to Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, interaction can be explained through a dramaturgical model. Within the dramaturgical model, interactions are portrayed as performances, as if a particular social environment is a stage, and the people in that social environment are actors (Goffman). Erving Goffman’s sociological interpretation of interaction is extended by Arlie Hochschild in her piece Feelings Management. Hochschild focuses specifically on performances that are put on in the workplace. Acting in the workplace has become a necessity in the service industry because in many cases, people must act warm and welcoming in order to keep their jobs. This method of acting happy and upbeat in the service industry is called emotional labor. However, as Hochschild explains, emotional labor can cause a strain on service workers, especially when they must act cheerful, even when they feel upset and distressed. The discrepancy between a person’s true emotions and their feigned emotional state is known as emotive dissonance. Continued emotive dissonance can lead to spillover, in which a person’s true emotions come out because they can no longer hold back these emotions. Though emotional labor began in the workplace, Hochschild

After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family

After a careful study and a deeper research on an introduction to sociology, I have come to understand that no problem can be solved well enough if one does not have the sociological perspective which is defined as a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens. In fact, there is the need of the lens that will help one to view situations and have the eye to emerge through different views to solve that problem. This mirror has become a doorway that will help one to have a beginner’s mind to approach problems.

Sociological approaches are “systematic, sceptical and critical study of the social. It studies the way people do things together”. (Macionis and Plummer 2012) It also “goes beyond everyday common sense by using systematic methods of empirical observation and theories” (Boundless [online] 2015). I will be using Goffman’s functionalist sociological approach of Dramaturgy to understand human life and to analyse my first few weeks of university. Goffman’s sociology is “concerned with everyday life, in particular with showing the tenuous nature of social life.”(Smart, n.d) His theory is based on symbolic interactionalism and used widely to look at micro sociological accounts of social interactions which occur in day to day life. Over my first few weeks at university I noticed a wide range of social practices and observed people handing unfamiliar situations as well as experiencing them first hand myself. Therefore I felt that taking the functionalist approach of dramaturgy was a relevant and fitting theory to explain an approach to understanding both human and university life and the presentation of self in society.

How would you describe your inner mind? crazy? genius? They say that both are two sides of the same side. Through my experiences, I shape the world around me, developing a unique perspective from my worldview. When it comes to how I perceive reality I just summarize it in these six concepts: culture, meaning, self, self-fulfilling prophecy, and scripts, and self-serving bias. My culture defines me down to my very genetic core. It explains why I drive the way I do, how I talk, what is socially acceptable, why I react to things the way I do , why I attend LIU, etc.

Erving Goffman was born on the 11th June 1922 in Mannville, Canada. In 1939, Goffman enrolled at the University of Manitoba where he pursued an undergraduate degree in chemistry; however he then took an interest for sociology while working temporarily at the National Film Board in Ottawa. This was the motivation that he then needed to go on and enrol at the University of Toronto where he studied anthropology and sociology, then after graduating with a degree he began a masters in sociology at the University of Chicago, which was one of the centres’ of sociological research in the United States. In the decade from 1959-1969

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.

My perspective of Gilman’s short story, "The Yellow Wall-Paper" is influenced by a great number of different and diverse methods of reading. However, one cannot overlook the feminist theorists’ on this story, for the story is often proclaimed to be a founding work of feminism. Further, the historical and biographical contexts the story was written in can be enlightened by mentioning Gilman’s relationship with S. Weir Mitchell. And I can’t help but read the story and think of Foucault’s concept of Panopticism as a method of social control. Lastly, of course, there’s the psychological perspective on the story, although in my readings of psychology, particularly the psychological knowledge surrounding both women and queers, I find the

In Four Sociological Traditions, Randall Collins (1994:47) states that the tradition of conflict is an unpopular theory in reference to society. Collins introduces conflict theory by briefly mentioning that, “dominance is determined by the distribution of social and economic resources” (1994:3). The theory revolves around the idea that societies have groups that will oppose each other due to differing statuses of power, ideology, and interests.

From what I could personally collect from the readings. Goffman’s book received negative responses, in regards to the legitimacy of her research. Those that read her book had pieced together the people, place and time of events to find conflicting information. Goffman insisted that the error in the timeline and over dramatization was to hide the identity of those she researched. This information, while meant to be anonymous, still revealed the people and places of those involved in her research study. Due to this and several other reasons, many scholars, lawyers and fellow ethnographers found it hard to separate fact from fiction. Much of Goffman’s research was destroyed due to her own accord and did not aid in her defense of legitimacy. It

The idea of not expecting too much led to Goffman adopting a naturalistic view of social

Compare and contrast the views of Goffman and Foucault on how social oreder is produced.

The brutal 1998 movie American History X, directed by Tony Kaye, follows former skinhead Derek Vinyard while he is trying to prevent his younger brother, Danny, from going down the same path Derek was led down. While leading a violent white supremacist cult and being a large part of many racial crimes throughout the L.A. area, Derek was sentenced to three years in prison for killing two black men who attempted to break into his truck. Throughout the three years, Derek learns that there are good and bad people in every race and becomes more open and friendly to those he believed he was superior to. After getting help in prison, Derek is released on parole and tries to cut ties with his old “brothers,” it is then that Derek realizes how much