Presentation Of The Self In Everyday Life

Erving Goffman was a sociologist and writer. During his time, he was perceived as “the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century.” He used his talent and creativity to express In “Performances”: The Presentation of the Self in Everyday life, Goffman presents life in a theatrical way. He uses the theater world to demonstrate how human lives their everyday life by hiding behind a mask when encountering with others and in different settings. However, when “behind scenes” they are their real selves where the mask may finally come off. For instance, Goffman uses the term “performance” as a way to describe the activities one observes on a daily basises. By this, the individual is able to give meaning to what is going on, to themselves, and others. …show more content…
He uses this as a metaphor to illustrate what we humans do regularly; we act in a way we normally wouldn’t in order to impress the others. Another example Goffman uses are appearance and manner. These two are a separate of what makes up a personal front. Appearance indicates one's social status and what kind of social activity he is engaging in. While for manner, that shows the kind of role a person may have to play in a certain situation. By conveying these, they demonstrate how an individual must have a place in this nation and act accordingly to the surroundings of them. Goffman is expressing how we humans are actors in this “play” we call life; that are our every action, label, and behavior is al for a show. We humans present ourselves while behind doors, act as who we truly are. Goffman found that an entertainment that has been around for many years now exemplifies “The Presentation of the Self in Everyday