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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a book published in the U.S. in 1959, by sociologist Erving Goffman. In it, Goffman uses the imagery of theater in order to portray the nuances and significance of face-to-face social interaction. Goffman puts forth a theory of social interaction that he refers to as the dramaturgical model of social life.

According to Goffman, social interaction may be likened to a theater, and people in everyday life to actors on a stage, each playing a variety of roles. The audience consists of other individuals who observe the role-playing and react to the performances. In social interaction, like in theatrical performances, there is a 'front stage' region where the actors are on stage  before an audience, and their consciousness of that audience and the audience's expectations for the role they should play influence the actor's behavior. There is also a back region, or backstage, where individuals can relax, and be themselves in front of others.

Central to the book and Goffman 's theory is the idea that people, as they interact in social settings, are constantly engaged in the process of "impression management," wherein each tries to present themselves and behave in a way that will prevent embarrassment of themselves or others. This is primarily done by each person who is part of the interaction working to ensure that all parties have the same "definition of the situation," meaning that all understand what is meant to happen in that situation, what to expect from the others involved, and thus how they should behave.

Though written over half a century ago,  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life  remains one of the most famous and widely taught sociology books, listed as the 10th most important sociology book of the 20th century by the International Sociological Association in 1998.

Performance

Goffman uses the term performance to refer to all activity of an individual in front of a particular set of observers, or audience. Through this performance, the individual, or actor, gives meaning to themselves, to others, and to their situation. These performances deliver impressions to others, communicating information that confirms the actor's identity in that situation. The actor may or may not be aware of their performance or have an objective for their performance, however, the audience is constantly attributing meaning to it and the actor.

The setting for the performance includes the scenery, props, and location where the interaction takes place. Different settings will have different audiences and will thus require the actor to alter his performance for each setting.

Appearance functions to portray the performer’s social status to the audience. Appearance also tells us of the individual’s temporary social state or role, for example, whether he is engaging in work (by wearing a uniform), informal recreation, or a formal social activity. Here, dress and props communicate things that have socially ascribed meaning, like gender , status, occupation, age, and personal commitments.

Manner refers to how the individual plays the role and functions to warn the audience of how the performer will act or seek to act in a role (for example, dominant, aggressive, receptive, etc.). Inconsistency and contradiction between appearance and manner may occur and will confuse and upset an audience. This can happen, for example, when one does not present himself or behave by his perceived social status or position.

The actor’s front, as labeled by Goffman, is the part of the individual’s performance that defines the situation for the audience. It is the image or impression he or she gives to the audience. A social front can also be thought of as a script. Certain social scripts tend to become institutionalized in terms of the stereotyped expectations they contain. Certain situations or scenarios have social scripts that suggest how the actor should behave or interact. If the individual takes on a task or role that is new to him or her, he or she may find there are already several well-established fronts among which he or she must choose. According to Goffman, when a task is given a new front or script, we rarely find the script is completely new. Individuals commonly use pre-established scripts to follow for new situations, even if it is not completely appropriate or desired.

Front Stage, Back Stage, and Off Stage

In stage drama , as in everyday interactions, according to Goffman, there are three regions, each with different effects on an individual’s performance: front stage, backstage, and off-stage. The front stage is where the actor formally performs and adheres to conventions that have particular meaning for the audience. The actor knows he or she is being watched and acts accordingly.

When in the backstage region , the actor may behave differently than when in front of the audience on the front stage. This is where the individual truly gets to be herself and get rid of the roles she plays when in front of other people.

Finally, the off-stage region is where individual actors meet the audience members independently of the team performance on the front stage. Specific performances may be given when the audience is segmented as such.

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