Essay

Brief Analysis of Erving Goffman's "The Presentation of the Self"

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Course
ENGL100

Institution
Capilano University (CapU )

This is a summary of the Introduction Chapter in The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life. Key points from the text are discussed and explained.

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Uploaded on May 7, 2021
Number of pages 1
Written in 2020/2021
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

erving
goffman
erving goffman
analysis
essay
social stage
front stage behaviour
impression management
human action
social behaviour
presentation of the self in everyday life

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Quick Look at the Presentation

Canadian-American sociologist Erving Goffman’s article is a deep dive into human action and

social behaviour explained with the explicit analogy that people are actors on a “social stage.” Like

players in a theatre, these actors continuously create an impression of themselves to project an image

that benefits the audience. In turn, a positive reaction elicited from this projection directly benefits the

actor. The fronts that we create are built by manipulating certain factors around us such as our outward

appearance, our emotional demeanour, and the setting in which we perform, and all these variables

must be actively taken into consideration when acting. Forming an idealized image is a part of

impression management as described by Goffman, and the social stages that demand the highest

degree of this ideal tend to be competitive settings with a clear professional hierarchy, such as a school

or workplace. In these settings, we manage impressions to achieve personal goals or to simply fit in with

our peers.

Although it is so ingrained into us that it seems natural, the constant acting out of these social

roles is taxing, which is why certain physical and mental spaces exist that allow us to drop these facades

and become closer to our true selves. Goffman calls this the backstage, which consequently makes the

scene we project ourselves onto be called the front stage. We tend to act differently backstage,

unburdened by the demands of our audiences, but not everyone’s front is far disconnected from their

absolute-truth persona. Some connect deeply with the parts they play on the front stage and find it

simple to keep up their fronts since they are barely “fronts” at all, and some play their roles cynically,

performing only for the sake of achieving another end or personal gain. Regardless of commitment,

backstage is where actors catch a break from being the “character” that must please the audience, as

well as take time to prepare for further acting, whether that be honing new impressions or readying

their nerves to appear before the audience again.

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