Goffman Essay -- Book Review, Social Exchange

Goff worldAll the worlds 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 partsStudent 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, The Perspective employed in this report is that of the theatrical performance (Preface, p. xi). Using hold in 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 indeed authored influential work producing deeper intellectual inquiry, academic discussion, and social science development. Through critical review, Goffmans record book reveal its core concept plus dole out how his influential paradigm, the dramaturgical perspective maybe placed in the terms of sociological d iscussions 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 tangled or not He begins quoting George Santayana in an exploration of mask. In chapter one, entitled Performances, the theatrical lens starts the analysis. He relays sociologist, Robert Ezra Parks concept, 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 dram aturgical perspective of Erving Goffman, Ph.D., has been examined in this report through a survey of his books 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 Goffmans work as a student of sociology because he has shown me intellectual tools to recognize abstractions concrete so that I may operate with on a cognitive level to comprehend group dynamics in a scientific way.