![]() ![]() A key concept related to identity formation and performance is the “front” and “back” stage. Goffman applied theater language to make this perspective more understandable. Frontstage and backstageĪccording to the dramaturgical approach, our personalities are not static. They might want to appear formal, informal, successful, or relatable-it depends on the setting (more on the examples that follow). People have a goal in mind with each performance and prepare to achieve it. Our costumes, the objects we carry or use as props, our tone of voice and nods may all be part of our daily performances. This process is known as impression management. They do so because they want to fit in or impress others. Goffman claimed that individuals perform different acts and masks in front of different people (audiences). Taking his cues from theater, Goffman proposed that people are actors interacting with each other on the “stage” of society. “human interaction as analogous to behavior on a theatrical stage, in which “appropriate” lines are delivered, with “backstage” behavior being less scripted. He studied human interactions in society at the micro-level (in day-to-day encounters). The dramaturgical approach was introduced in sociology in Goffman’s book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959). Located at: Wikimedia.References Definition of Dramaturgical Analysis License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike Located at: en./wiki/Impression%20Management. Located at: en./wiki/Dramaturgy_(sociology). Located at: License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike Located at: en./wiki/Symbolic_interactionism. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlikeĬC LICENSED CONTENT, SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTION Front Stage: Actions that are visible to the audience and are part of the performance. ![]() Back Stage: Actions that only occur when the audience is not around.Impression Management: In sociology and social psychology, impression management is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event they do so by regulating and controlling information in social interaction.Performance Stage: Erving Goffman uses the metaphor of a stage to explain human behavior in everyday life. This shows how individuals are constantly attuned to audience and will alter their behaviors accordingly. However, as soon as the customer leaves, the barista might deride the customer to coworkers. The barista wishes to convey to the customer that she is willing to meet the customer’s needs. While on the clock and in front of customers, baristas will typically do what the customer wants and try to look untroubled by obnoxious requests. An example of this would be the type of customer service embodied by baristas at the local coffee shop. Front stage actions are those that are visible to the audience and are part of the performance, while back stage actions only occur when the audience is not around. Goffman explains this awareness in terms of front stage and back stage behaviors. The interrelatedness of the individual’s sense of identity and society is evidenced by the actor’s acute awareness of the audience. The performer is always aware that the audience is doing evaluative work on its own and might doubt the authenticity of the performance. Dramaturgy binds both presentation and reception, demonstrating that one’s identity is fundamentally intertwined with society outside of oneself. An individual invests energy in portraying a particular identity to other people. The innovative strength of the dramaturgical perspective is its recognition of the “two-way street” nature of identity management. ![]()
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