The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Andy Isaacson

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Erving Goffman

Goffman’s why-question: Why do people work together to negotiate a single definition of the situation?

Goffman’s motivational mechanism: Humans are motivated to give a good performance within the definition of the situation (p.15, 167).

Key concepts:

Working Consensus (p.10): An agreement against open conflict with the goal of maintaining the surface agreement.
Performer (pp.251-2): (“Merchants of morality”) “A fabricator of impressions involved in the all-too-human task of staging a performance.”
Character (p.252): The quality that a performance was designed to evoke; typically a fine one, whose spirit, strength, and other sterling quality
Self (pp.252-3): “A performed character…arising diffusely from a scene that is presented…[which can either be] credited or discredited.”
Morals (p. 251): Societies standards.
Amoral behavior (p.251): To engineer a perception to accord oneself with society’s standards.
Expression (p.248): The information exerted by an actor
Impression (p.248): The perception of the expression, which will guide future action without waiting for the informants actions to be felt.
Moral Demand (p.13): When an individual claims to be a certain type of person, others must value and treat the person in way that people of that type have a right to expect.
Interaction (p.15): (face-to-face) “The reciprocal influence of individuals upon one another’s actions when in one another’s presence.”
“An Encounter”or“An Interaction” (p.15): “All the interaction which occurs throughout any one occasion when a given set of individuals are in one another’s continuous presence.”
Performance (p.15): “All the activity of a given participant on a given occasion which serves to influence in any way any of the other participants.”
Audience (pp.15-16): (observers, or co-participants) Other participants who contribute to the performance.
Routine (p.16): (“part”) “The pre-established pattern of action which is unfolded during a performance or played through on other occasions.
Region (p.106): “Any place that is bounded to some degree by barriers of perception.”
Front Region (p.107): “The place where the performance is given.”
Back Region (p.112): Where the suppressed facts stay during an encounter.
Setting (p.107): The fixed sign-equipment in a place.
Disruptive Events (p.12): “Events within the interaction which contradict, discredit, or otherwise throw doubt upon the initial projection of the situation.”
Defensive Practices (p.13): “When an individual employs strategies and tactics to protect his own projections.”
Protective Practicesor Tact (p.13): “When a participant employs strategies and tactics to protect his own projections.”
“Forgets Himself” (p.168): “During disruptions of a performance, especially when a misidentification is discovered, and the performer end up blurting out a relatively unperformed exclamation.” (i.e., “My God” or facial equivalent)
Social Relationship (p.16): “When an individual or performer plays the same part to the same audience on different occasions.”
Social Role (p.16): “The enactment of right and duties attached to a given status.”
Realness (p.17): “When the audience is convinced that the performance of an actor is the real reality.”
Relaxation of Distance (p.200): When higher status performer or team become less formal while interacting with lower status performer or team.
Politeness (p.107): “The way the performer treats the audience.” Either “while engaged in talk with them or in gestural interchanges that are substituted for talk.”
Decorum (p.107): How one conducts oneself while in aural or visual range of the audience, but not necessarily engaged in talk with them.

Moral Decorum (p.107): Ends in themselves, and presumably refer to rules regarding non-interference and non-molestation of others (i.e., rules regarding respect for sacred places)
Instrumental Decorum (p.107): Not ends in themselves, and presumably refer to duties such as employer might demand of his employees (i.e., care of property, maintenance of work level).

Cynical Performer (p.18): When an individual: 1) has no belief in his own act, 2) no ultimate concern with the beliefs of his audience
Sincere Performer (p.18): “Individuals who believe in the impression fostered by their own performance.”
Team (p.104): (“Secret Society”) “A set of individuals whose intimate co-operation is required if a given projected definition of the situation is to be maintained.” “The extent and character of the co-operation is concealed and kept secret.”
Secret Derogation (p.170): Criticism or scorn “by members of a team in the back stage where the audience cannot hear them.”
Secret Praise (p.170): “When performers praise their audience in a way that would be impermissible for them to do in the actual presence of the audience.”
Staging Talk (p.176): (Gossip, or “shop talk”) Planning or discussion about activities that happen(ed) on the front stage
Team Collusion (p.177): “Any collusive communication which is carefully conveyed in such a way as to cause no threat to the illusion that is being fostered for the audiences.”
Staging Cues (p.177,181): (“high signs”) Secret communication to transmit information about situation among colluders to facilitate maintenance of the situation.
Derisive Collusion (p.187): Collusion that only has the “function to confirm for the performer that he does not really hold with the working consensus.” (i.e., playing corny music extra corny).
Side-kick (p.189): A “specialized team-role” where one person “can be brought into performance for the pleasure of ensuring the other the comforts of a teammate.”

“The Show Must Go On”