The Goffman 's Theory Of Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is often referred to as being a very ‘slippery’ and indefinable word; though there are standard definitions available for us to find, we cannot seem to comprehend these definitions without exceptions arising. For example, the online Oxford English Dictionary defines dramaturgy as either being a ‘dramatic composition; the dramatic art’ or as ‘dramatic or theatrical acting.’ However, words such as ‘composition’ can be highly vague, leaving itself open to broad interpretations and debates via the scholars of drama and theatre studies. Similarly, we are left to question what exactly the role of a dramaturg is, and whether they perform this role alone or share it; as no one has actually established a clear definition of what

Controlling performances both verbally and nonverbally can sway the audience into believing the actors view of a situation. Goffman’s concept of performance has two dimensions; for the most part the performance given is not one of deception but of truth and sincerity. “One finds that the performer can be fully taken in by his own act: he can be sincerely convinced that the impression of reality he stages is the real reality.” (Goffman 1959) This leads the author to believe that this is true for most of society, for the way in which people present themselves through their beliefs, actions and demeanour is who they believe they are. Secondly Goffman discusses the belief in a “cynical” performance in which an individual has no faith in their performance and no concern with the inclination of the audience, the performance is based on deception. A prime example of this is the salesperson that convinces a consumer to buy a defective or below average product to increase his sales figures. However in any performance given,

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.

2. I have a retail job, which requires me to put on a performance for the audience also known as the customers. Goffman states that life is like a theater, which has different regions in which we must act in order for our performance to be deemed as successful by the audience (Goffman, 1959). A performance is defined as the act that one puts on for the audience, which has some influence on the actor (Goffman, 1959). Regarding my retail job I must put on an act of helpfulness and caring in the product that I am selling, I must change my approach according to each person. If I approach a customer and ask if they need assistance and they state they do not, then I must respect their decision. On the other hand if I have a person that need my assistance I must make myself available to this customer; therefor my attentiveness changes depending on costumers and their needs. For my performance to be successful my colleges and I must work together as a team (Goffman, 1959). Team is situation that we define as a group through a social situation (Goffman, 1959). At my retail job we must work together as a team to help one another. As a team we must all act as helpful and caring sale associates if we do not the performance is seen as insincere (Goffman, 1959). We must help one other to keep the performance (Goffman, 1959). Since in our store there are different sections, sales floor, fitting rooms, and cash, no one person can do all three especially

The dramaturgical perspective views our daily interaction like we are in a stage performance all the time. In the Tv show NCIS there are so many examples of dramaturgy. This shows so many of the concepts of dramaturgy. This show is the navy version of CSI. NCIS is only called when it involves a Navy officer that was either kidnapped or murdered. The cast on NCIS are Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, forensic specialist Abby Sciuto, chief medical examiner Donald Mallard, Special Agent Timothy McGee, Jimmy Palmer, Director Leon Vance, Agent Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop, Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres, Agent Alexandra “Alex” Quinn.

The connection that I want to write about is the use of dramaturgy and assimilation of college students. Since dramaturgy is the practice of dramatic composition it is easy to see how this can fit into college life very simply. College is a great time for students to express who they really are and basically be whoever they want to be while in school. A lot of students have an identity assigned to them as they grow up and go into high school. This set identity makes it so a lot of people have certain expectations or they are not able to express who they really are or what they really want to portray.

In this article, Jory concentrates on objectives and reacting to others reactions of the scene. Equating acting to ping pong and the give and take needed in any scene; as described by Shurtleff (1978) in guidepost seven, “Communication and Competition”: There is an obligation for the sender to ensure his message was clear and understood by the receiver (pg. 63) and “drama feeds on conflict and dies on

Erving Goffman lived from 1922 until 1983, where he spent his time as an American sociologist. Goffman scrutinized abnormal situations and institutions like the following: mental hospitals, gambling, social encounters, etc. He did this to reveal the state of society and its existence upholding “normal life.” Goffman developed a concept called the Dramaturgical Theory. The following writing will explain the theory and its foundations, as well as how groups engaged in impression management: athletes, college instructors, parents, physicians, and politicians. I will write on what the deemed image of these groups want to present to their individual audience, as well as how they achieve that goal.

Drama by definition is a play, movie, television show, or radio show that is about a serious subject and is not meant to make the audience laugh (Webster). Race, social class, and gender very often are major story lines for films in the category of drama. A drama can be based on several aspects, including but not limited to reality and novels and cross over into several other genres of movies. Very often, we see drama crossed with comedy, action, romance, etc., in turn making it the most common genre of movies (Dirks, 2015). Drama focuses on realistic characters with a realistic story line, high intensity special effects are not usually prevalent in dramas. The Help, A Christmas Carol, Mr. Mom, are the dramas chosen that I feel depict race, social class, and gender representation each at a very different level, based on the time period implied in the movie.

Erving Goffman’s above statement, referencing actors and public image, is a clear allusion to his dramaturgical metaphor, which is one branch of his work on symbolic interactionism. His dramaturgical metaphor delves into the premise that we are all ‘actors’ who ‘perform’ to others as our ‘audience’ (Goffman, 1990). It is this metaphor which will be evaluated and analysed for its sociological significance, as well as the practical implications of the statement above, and what it means to be sociologically significant. Many other sociologists have also tackled the depths of Symbolic Interactionism, or the themes explored by the dramaturgical metaphor, of the likes of, Mead and Blumer. Their insights and contributions will be discussed concerning Goffman’s statement. However, it is Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor which will be of the most help in evaluating the statement given and its sociological significance. Although, as relayed above, other sociologists work, such as Meads idea of the self being split into the I and the Me, and their individual functions will be important in helping us further evaluate the statement, and its sociological significance (Pampel, 2007). As will Blumer’s three-pronged approach to symbolic interactionism, allowing us to grasp a basic understanding of the concepts and frameworks surrounding symbolic interactionism, and enhance our knowledge of the dramaturgical metaphors place in symbolic interactionism (Carter & Fuller, 2015). Overall, the

The impressions that we give off in a situation can be part of a setting that Goffman refers to as the “front stage” (22). This stage consists of

Okay. So, the dramatic arts are something that is called the “incarnation of words.” Drama is the kind of thing that takes words and actions and smears them on a canvas of a human to breathe life into the words and actions...escentially we are making a drawing of a teapot into a teapot that is 3d and full of hot tea, or we are creating an 18th century, corset drawing of a woman, into an actual woman with a posh english accent. We are the only kind of creature to create things out of nothing, we are created in the image of God, and I believe that the Church and most everybody else ceases to see the actors in Hollywood as people.

1) In order to have a meaningful experience in a dramatic activity, the performer that organized the activity must keep in mind that their main role is “the agent of change”. This role provides them with the responsibility of being in charge of how the participants as a whole gets transformed with the purpose of improving their lives by satisfying the group’s needs. The performer must be able to develop a logical and understandable method for discovering what their target audience lacks as a result of their current situation. They then must focus on how to articulate and portray goal(s) of the performance in a way that allows the actors to learn as they act. Dwight Conquergood supported this idea through his selfless contributions with numerous marginalized groups: ranging from Hmong refugees to local street gangs. He was able to form a deep enough connection with his groups that even lead to him finding homes, employment, and even serving as an advocate for their court cases. Howard Gardner would describe the idea of the performer as an agent of change to be an example of a role that somebody with a lot of interpersonal intelligence– that is, having an understanding of other people’s feelings– should have.

Erving Goffman sees self-presentation in six aspects, which are all related to the idea of life as a drama; persona, performance, staging, teams, role, personal style. According to Goffman, a persona is when someone wears various personality ‘masks’ depending on which roles they are undertaking, for example, when someone is with their friends the mask they wear defines them as a kind, friendly person whereas when they are with the family the mask will come off and their personality will change. I wear a mask when I’m with my friends and this portrays me as a friendly, outgoing character, whereas the mask I wear at home is loud, moody and unproductive.

     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.