Erving Goffman's Theory Of Dramaturgical Analysis

Erving Goffman (1922-1982)

The following essay is going to outline two of Goffman’s theories, 1) The Theory Dramaturgy and 2) Stigma. Firstly, Goffman’s theory of Dramaturgical Analysis will be discussed. This is defined as ‘the study of social interaction in terms of theoretical performance’ (Johnson, 2015). In this theory it is suggested that the world is a stage and all beings on it are actors, whether it be front stage actors or back stage actors, we’re all constantly acting. Within this theory/analysis, there are a two sub divisions which will be looked at in further detail. These sub divisions are, Impression Management’, also known as ‘The Presentation of the Self’, and ‘Symbolic Interaction’.

Symbolic Interactionism

Although Symbolic

According to Manning, (1992) who was quoted in Marsh (1996), Goffman “possessed an extraordinary ability to appreciate the subtle importance of apparently insignificant aspects of everyday conduct”. He used it to point out that it is one of the key ways of interaction among humans. Symbolic Interaction looks at the way in which humans interact with certain objects or each other depending on the circumstance they are in. It also looks at the way stimulus and response are interpreted as well as the development of an individual which forms as a result of interaction with the external world (Daryna, Lyudmila, n.d.). According to Marsh (p. 72, 1996), “When people interact with one another they use symbols and attach meanings to them especially in the form of language-hence the name symbolic interactionism”. It “tends to focus on the language and symbols that help us give meaning to the experiences in our lives” (Scarince, 2015). This is an example of how the interaction of humans differs from that of other species. Humans give meaning to things in order to decide how to act in certain situations or people based on what they associate the person or place with and how they view them. Different people will interact with differently to the same things or situations depending on their initial experience or interaction with it (Brown,

For example, if an individual is in class, they will take on the role of a student, paying attention and giving respect to the authority figure in the room i.e. the teacher/lecturer, wanting to appear as a good student who is serious about their work, whereas if the individual was around a child or a baby they would adopt a persona which is more childlike, free and less serious, coming down to the child’s level, trying to portray to the child that they are not intimidating and scary, but are fun and loving. The student will act this way around their educator because to the individual their educator carries a symbol of authority, affecting the way they’ll interact with