Goffman Essay -- Book Review, Social Exchange

Goffman â€Å"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Student of sociology, believe Erving Goffman could easily claimed to have made that statement just as Shakespeare is given due. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life details dramaturgy or as Goffman himself relates, â€Å"The Perspective employed in this report is that of the theatrical performance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Preface, p. xi). Using theater metaphors Goffman wanted to analyze frame by frame the organization of the social experience. He created a framework, a common sociological language, to conceptualize social interactions and thus authored influential work producing deeper intellectual inquiry, academic discussion, and social science development. Through critical review, Goffman’s book reveal its core concept plus consider how his influential paradigm, the dramaturgical perspective maybe placed i n the terms of sociological discussions within the discipline. The book surveys a host of social exchanges whereby the author demonstrates that we in our everyday lives participate in performances of ourselves in ways similar to actors depicting characters. Essentially to Dr. Goffman, it is acting -the presentation of oneself - whether recognized as such by individuals involved or not He begins quoting George Santayana in an exploration of mask. In chapter one, entitled â€Å"Performances,† the theatrical lens starts the analysis. He relays sociologist, Robert Ezra Park’s concept, â€Å"We come into the world as individuals, achieve character, and become persons† (p.20). These examples and all other pertinent information supporting his thesis are registered through theater. Previewing t... ...sic way has been the way of the intellectual craftsman.† This describes Goffman as a serious sociologist. He uses the dimensions of stagecraft to develop intellectual craftsmanship that his academic colleague calls upon. The dramaturgical perspective of Erving Goffman, Ph.D., has been examined in this report through a survey of his book’s assertions. The lineage of sociology prior to his publishing his social science conceptual study was detailed and connected to his stated views of micro-sociology. The sociological discussion within the discipline based upon his book concluded this critical review. This entire survey has caused me to appreciate Goffman’s work as a student of sociology because he has shown me intellectual tools to make abstractions concrete so that I may operate with on a cognitive level to comprehend group dynamics in a scientific way.