Summary Of Erving Goffman's Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is a sociological viewpoint commonly used to analyze social interactions and was first introduced in the book The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life. In this book, Erving Goffman, a Canadian-American sociologist and writer, uses the imagery of theater to portray the distinctions 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 the