Society has supreme control over the actions that we perform. Humans as a whole are not even aware of it, even though we have been given the choice of free will to make our own decisions. We have norms which are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members (John J. Macionis 2017, 2014). These norms are set in place for us to follow. Also set in place, are values, which are culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful (John J. Macionis 2017, 2014). These serve as broad guidelines for social living. Within these norms and values we as individuals have a separate role to play. Erving Goffman is a very influential sociologist and ethnographer that broke down the view of society and how we should play our roles. …show more content…
Goffman was born in 1922 in Mannville, Alberta, Canada. Erving Goffman was raised in Dauphin, Manitoba. Dauphin is in close proximity to Winnipeg. He was the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Max and Anne Goffman. His dad Max Goffman, was a shopkeeper, and Ann, his mom was a homemaker. Mr. Goffman wasn’t the only famous one in the family. His sister Francis Bay was a famous actress. She starred in a plethora of movies. Mr. Goffman was married to Angelica Choate from 1952-1964. They were married 12 years until her death in 1964. Together they had a son named Tom Goffman. Sadly, his son died at the young age of 23. Even though his first wife died, after 17 years of being a widower, he remarried a lady named Gillian Sankoff. They were only married for a year. From 1981-1982. Together Erving and Gillian had a daughter name Alice Goffman. Alice has followed in her father’s footsteps and became an American Sociologist and Urban