Dramaturgical Model

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Using the imagery of the theater to portray the social actions and interactions of human beings was the idea of Ervine Goffman. He thought that social situations were like theater, people of society were like actors on a stage, and that each person plays a variety of roles. The audience refers to the people that are in our surroundings that observe our actions on a daily basis. He said that like in theater performance there is a front region of the stage and a back region. The main concepts in Goffman’s theory, in which he refers to as the dramaturgical model of social life, are performance, setting, appearance, manner, front, front stage, back stage, and off stage. The term performance refers to the way a person acts in front observers or …show more content…

Manner refers to how the performer will act out the roles. It can show whether they are aggressive, passive, dominant, shy, happy, or sad. The audience can become confused if there is a contradiction between appearance and manner. This can occur if the actor does not act how society expects them to act for their social status, which can be determined by appearance. For example, one would expect a police office in uniform to uphold the law, but he is seen stealing or breaking the law in some way. The actor’s front is the part of the performance, which define the situation for observers. This is the first impression that one gives off to others. There are certain situations that are expected to be treated or handled in a certain way or stereotype. Individuals will often find that there is a predetermined way to act in certain new situation. The three stages that Goffman lists refer to the different ways an individual acts depending on their audience. The front stage is when an individual knows they are being watched and wants to make a good first impression. This is when someone acts more formal and displays actions that are more

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