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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
In five pages this paper agrees with Goffman’s theory and provides supporting evidence from the sociological text. There are no additional sources listed in the bibliography.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGpreself.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Rather than limit his theoretical inquiry into human behavior in and of itself, Goffman instead concentrated upon that motivations that lead to this behavior. What makes people act as
they do in various situations? According to Goffmans dramaturgical theory, social interaction depends upon time, place, and audience. Though highly theatrical, Goffman believed that individuals modify their behavior
not by freedom of choice but to satisfy various social scenarios. They are actors in a social play, with a script determined by the social norms that are predominant
in any given situation. Goffman argued people are not interacting with each other instinctively, but these are measured responses learned through years of social conditioning. These are, according
to his perspective, performances in which the actors/individuals are seeking, consciously or subconsciously, to impart impressions and elicit appropriate responses based upon self-constructed objectives (Goffman 17). For example, a
young woman may get what she thinks is a very stylish hairstyle that is not the most attractive. When she asks her boyfriend his opinion of the hairstyle, there
are several scenes being played out offstage. If the boyfriend tells the truth, he hurts his girlfriends feelings and he will be stopped short of achieving his goal of
sexual intimacy; if he lies to her, he is strengthening his girlfriends sense of self and bolstering her ego. So, by saying, "I love your new look!" both actors are
realizing their goals by sticking to the social script generated in this delicate situation. The foundation of Goffmans theory is rooted in what he described as a front that an
individual presents in social settings. This front is defined as, "that part of the individuals performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation
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