“People are more concerned with being NORMAL than with being NATURAL.”

Erving Goffman (June 11, 1922 – November 19, 1982)

Because of the way they are socialized, people try to craft and project a socially meaningful image. The media has been complicit. Its institutionalized images have come to define how people actually think they want to live. Image is all important today; even if maintaining the image may incur harm. We put hair where it doesn’t belong and shave off hair where it does belong. These days people try to be normal rather than natural. But few people can actually look and act like the mediated images mass produced for a media-intensive society. Instead of attention being distributed face-to-face, it is now mass distributed. Substance has taken a backseat to style and has become so pronounced, it’s distribution is off-kilter. Some of the people who do match these mediated images can’t handle the attention it draws to them. It’s THAT lop-sided. It probably doesn’t help that we exist in a sound bite reality. Substance doesn’t have time to sink in. Learn more about the concept of DRAMATRUGY …

Goffman used the metaphor of LIFE as THEATER. That is, while engaged in social interaction, we are social “actors” performing for “audiences.” Goffman admitted that in dramaturgy, psychology is involved. However, according to him, it is stripped and cramped into sociology. That is social life begins with social actors, or as Goffman himself put it, “Not men and their moments, but moments and their men.” Goffman afforded the social “moment” analytical priority over the psychological.The social scene is paramount. Dramaturgy isn’t interested in any one individual; even though it’s the individuals that ultimately do the acting and interacting; plotting; scheming; interpreting; wooing; conning; and all the other activities that require image management and maintenance. It’s still about the group and behavior patterns.

Roles: Role theory claims that roles define us and prescribe how we are supposed to act in various social circumstances. We role-take as well as role-make (we tend to put our own spin on the roles we adopt). This was the difference for Goffman, and this is the important part. He claimed that actors first chose the role they feel like enacting. They chose the role from a variety of possibilities. Many roles exists for their choosing. Once chosen, enacting them is an art in itself. Learn more about how ROLES affect your social life . . .

According to Goffman, the entire purpose of social action is geared toward IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT (image maintenance) during social encounters. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways; using a variety of items to make your act more believable. Learn more about how people manage their images …

Front Stage: where we perform (usually to some sort of “audience”). Front stage is NOT a “place.” Front and back stages are defined by the activity taking place. If you’re performing for someone else, it’s most likely front stage. Learn more about how people act when they know people are watching …

Back Stage: where we prepare for our front stage performances. We can “let down our act” when we are back stage. Back stage areas allow us an area to prepare for the front stage performance. If you can be yourself completely, it’s probably because you’re back stage. Learn more about how people prepare for their performances back stage …

Performance: is the actual “acting” of the “role” we’ve decided to present to a specific, targeted audience. This is an on-going activity. We perform at different roles: mom, daughter, sister, student, club leader. Learn more about how people craft their behavior to satisfy certain others …

Props: articles that help us enhance our performances. The process of impression management. People tend to emphasize and accentuate the positive while simultaneously avoiding or limiting the negative. Props are items that make our acts more believable. Learn more about how people use social objects to enhance their performances …

Scripts: where we get our prescriptions for behavior. Learn more about about where we get our instructions about how to act …

“Giving” is purposeful communication. The actor is conscious that they are communicating purposeful information. Learn more about involuntary communication …

“Giving-Off” is accidental or non-purposeful communication. The actor is NOT aware of the fact that they are communicating accidental or perhaps even unintended information. Learn more about voluntary communication …

Covering move: a move intended to hide the truth about something. This move is designed to give advantage to the person hiding the potentially damaging information. Usually the information hidden runs counter to the person’s projected image (presentation of self). (Example: someone in the dating scene may hide the fact that they are on Prozac or that they have a criminal record, such as a felony conviction, or a DUI.) Learn more about how people attempt to cover any possible unpleasant aspects of their lives …

Uncovering Move: is a move designed to uncover factual information one feels another may be hiding. The uncovering move is normally “tricky” in nature and is designed to assess the other person’s “true” motive for engaging in some activity. Normally an uncovering move is an attempt to gain advantage. It’s a trick move used to find out what’s “really going on.” Learn more about how people can “get at the truth” …

Counter-Uncovering Move: is a reaction to an uncovering move. Once some information is “found out” or discovered, the person attempts to redefine the situation and couch it in a more favorable light. In short, they attempt to put Humpty back together again and “undo” the damage. Learn more about how some people can talk their way out of trouble …

Involvement Contour: the appropriate pace of action; or how engrossed an actor is in their scene or activity. An actor can be too involved, correctly involved, or they may be under-involved. Then again they may act uninvolved with their scene. Each of these involvement statuses “gives-off” something about their motive for their involvement in the scene in the first place. Women are normally aware of the social nuances involved with their scenes. Women also tend to develop a keener sense of what is “really” happening in their social surroundings; in much more detail than their male counterparts. They can see things clearly, even in their peripheral view. Men: not so much. My mom always said that “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.” If a person is good at reading what others give off, they then possess a social advantage over those who aren’t so keen at reading people. Learn more about people become involved at the correct “speed+ during social life …

Teams: People often cooperate in their performances, thus forming a team. A performance depends on all members of any particular team. Though members of a team, the members have to play for themselves as well. Learn more about how actors unite to present a unified front (performance) …

Examples of TEAM play:

The Sting Movie