Read the notes, then try the practice. It adapts as you go.When you're ready.
Session Length
~17 min
Adaptive Checks
15 questions
Transfer Probes
8
Dramaturgy is a sociological perspective developed primarily by Erving Goffman that uses the metaphor of theatrical performance to explain how individuals present themselves and manage impressions in everyday social interactions. Drawing on the language of the stage -- actors, audiences, scripts, props, and backstage areas -- Goffman argued that social life is fundamentally performative. People actively construct and negotiate their identities through carefully managed self-presentations, adjusting their behavior depending on the social context, the audience present, and the desired impression they wish to convey.
Goffman's foundational work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), introduced the distinction between front stage and back stage behavior. Front stage refers to the spaces where individuals perform for an audience, adhering to social norms and role expectations, while back stage is where performers can relax, drop their public personas, and prepare for upcoming performances. This framework reveals that social interaction is not spontaneous or transparent but rather a carefully orchestrated process involving impression management, teamwork among co-performers, and the strategic control of information.
Beyond Goffman's original formulation, dramaturgy has expanded to encompass the study of stigma, face-work, frame analysis, and total institutions. The perspective has found applications in fields ranging from organizational behavior and political communication to digital sociology and the study of online identity. In the age of social media, where individuals curate profiles and manage multiple audiences simultaneously, dramaturgical analysis has become more relevant than ever, offering powerful tools for understanding how people navigate complex social worlds and construct meaning through interaction.
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The conscious or unconscious process by which individuals attempt to influence the perceptions of others by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. It involves strategic self-presentation to shape how one is perceived.
Example: A job applicant carefully selects professional attire, rehearses confident body language, and emphasizes relevant accomplishments during an interview to create a favorable impression on the hiring manager.
The social setting where individuals perform for an audience, adhering to established norms, scripts, and role expectations. Behavior on the front stage is carefully managed to maintain the desired impression.
Example: A waiter in a fine dining restaurant speaks politely, maintains composure, and presents dishes with rehearsed elegance while serving guests in the dining room.
The private area where performers can relax, drop their public personas, rehearse, and prepare for front stage performances. The audience is not intended to see back stage behavior.
Example: The same waiter, once in the kitchen and away from diners, may complain about a difficult customer, use informal language, and lean against the counter to rest.
The actions taken by a person to make their behavior consistent with the image (or 'face') they are presenting. It includes strategies for avoiding embarrassment and helping others maintain their own face in social encounters.
Example: When a colleague mispronounces a word during a meeting, others may tactfully ignore the error or subtly correct it without drawing attention, preserving the speaker's dignity.
An attribute that is deeply discrediting and reduces an individual from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one. Goffman identified three types: bodily stigma, character stigma, and tribal stigma related to group membership.
Example: A person with a visible physical disability may find that others interact with them primarily through the lens of that disability rather than seeing the full range of their identity and capabilities.
A place of residence and work where a large number of similarly situated individuals, cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time, lead an enclosed, formally administered life. Examples include prisons, mental hospitals, and military barracks.
Example: In a military boot camp, recruits are stripped of personal identity markers, given uniforms, assigned numbers, and subjected to rigid schedules that control all aspects of daily life.
A set of individuals who cooperate in staging a single routine or performance. Team members must maintain loyalty, discipline, and circumspection to sustain the collective impression being presented to the audience.
Example: Doctors and nurses in a hospital coordinate their communication in front of patients to project competence and calm, even if they privately disagree about a treatment approach.
A theoretical framework examining how individuals organize their experiences and make sense of social events by applying interpretive schemas or 'frames.' Frames structure perception and guide action in ambiguous situations.
Example: The same physical act of one person pushing another is interpreted very differently depending on the frame: as assault in an alley, as play on a sports field, or as rescue during an emergency.
More terms are available in the glossary.
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