Erving Goffman's Concept Of Dramaturgy

Introduction: Humans are expected to behave a certain way in social settings and through socialization, we are able to achieve that. It is a process which begins at birth and continues throughout the rest of our lives and it is what teaches us to conform to society’s norms and values in order to properly function as human beings (Johansen-Wilczewski, 2016). The concept of socialization relates to Erving Goffman 's concept of dramaturgy. Everyone has their roles in society and various social events as well as the stage. We dress up for the occasion we are participating in and will act the parts. For example, a wedding. The bride typically wears a white dress and a vail and the groom wears a tuxedo. The ritual is normally done in a church and …show more content…
It helps create who we are and what exactly defines us. I have multiple agents of socialization to me like, my softball teams, my religion and my family. My softball team is important to me. I do not know how I would function without it. It has shaped out parts of my personality. I am able to exercise for long periods of time and I work well with other people. Because it is a team and we all win and lose together, it gives me the ability to make bonds with people and bring them up when I need to. It also has shaped my personality to be a tomboy sometimes. During my practices and games I am creating habits of being more manly than the girls who do not participate in sports. My religion or church family, too has shaped me significantly. In some ways it has taught me manners or how/when to dress for special occasions. Through the social interactions during the services I have been taught to give to the needy during the offering. It has influenced my thoughts on charities and viewpoints of the poor. Lastly and the most significant impact on my behavior are my parents and family. Through the seventeen years of my life spent living with them, I have acquired the necessary behaviors to live as a human being. I am able to function properly in society because they taught me the most powerful agent of socialization and that is language. Most people do not realize the significance of language. Communication is what allows me …show more content…
One is an ascribed status, which is described as, “A position inherited from birth or is received involuntarily” (Johansen-Wilczewski, 2016). This can most commonly be related to a monarchy, where the king and queen are born into their positions. My role as a female is an ascribed status. From birth, I am the one who carries the baby for nine months while it grows. I am the one who provides the food for the baby for a short period of time. It might also be applied to my role in society. To be the nurturer of the child and to make the dinners for the family. I did not work at all to get to that place, I was simply born into it. The other type of status is, achieved status. Is when “Positions are earned, accomplished, or involve the effort of an individual” (Johansen-Wilczewski, 2015). A few examples may include becoming a CEO of a business, becoming the principal of school or even getting your high school diploma. My achieved status is becoming the captain of the softball team. I had to actually put in work to get that status, unlike me being a female. I had to show full dedication to the team. I would be the first to get there and the last to leave. I would help out any team functions when I could and prove to my coach I have the most commitment out of all the other girls there. Showing my coach that I care about the team involves effort, and that is what makes it an achieved