Erving Goffman

Parallels the roles assumed by people in their daily interactions with the performance of actresses and actors on a stage

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

In what the General Practitioner called 'this intelligent searching work', the author of 'Stigma' and 'Asylums' presents an analysis of the structures of social encounters from the perspective of the dramatic performance. He shows us exactly how people use such 'fixed props' as houses, clothes, and job situations; how they combine in teams resembling secret societies; and how they adopt discrepant roles and communicate out of character. Professor Goffman takes us 'backstage' too, into the regions where people both prepare their images and relax from them; and he demonstrates in painful detail what can happen when a performance falls flat.

Gavin

Nelson Zagalo

Obligatory reading for anyone working in the communication field. Foundational book on non verbal communication, gaining relevance everyday with the advent of social media.

alex m

The key work of one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century. Erving Goffman deals with human interaction in social situations using the metaphor of the stage. Role-playing is now recognized as not merely the province of the performer and the maladjusted neurotic, but as an integral and necessary function of daily living. Social techniques of self-presentation are illuminated by examples taken from detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions and a variety of occupational levels. One of the most interesting aspects of this study is its revelation of the many roles that must be assumed by everyone engaged in even the simplest life-situations. In the course of any day one may easily play a half-dozen parts: with the boss, with fellow-workers, with friends, with one's spouse, and so on. Dr. Goffman's analogy details how "acting" techniques are used in the most common everyday circumstances; it bares the mainsprings of manipulation that keep society moving.--From publisher description.

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

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