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Symbolic Interactionist Theory

Erving Goffman applies a unique twist to the sociological view of the way individuals in their everyday lives present themselves and their activities to others. He is particularly concerned with what he calls "impression management"--the ways people guide and control others' impressions of them. To discuss his view of the ways in which these interactions work, Goffman employs the dictionary definition of dramaturgy, which is "the art of dramatic composition and theatrical representation" (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 221). He then applies this dramaturgical definition to the sociological concept of role by placing the analysis of human behavior in a theatrical setting. In other words, he takes the dramatic situation of actors and actresses on stage and applies this theatrical representation to the everyday lives of ordinary women and men who are acting out their roles in the real world (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 221).

The significant dramaturgical concepts in this analysis are the front and back regions. The front region is the area in which the individuals' performance is regularly on display--the stage. In this region, the individual performs his or her regular functions in a general and fixed fashion to control the viewer's perception of their role and their performance of that role (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 221). Goffman explains that this front region is composed of the setting, articles such as furniture and other stage props that set and supply the scenery, and other "personal front" items of "expressive equipment," such as insignia designating office or rank, clothing, sex, age, racial characteristics, size, posture, speech patterns, facial expressions, and body gestures (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 221).

Thus, this front region basically includes any personal or environmental items that enable the performing individuals to successfully perform the role they have chosen and thereby form in their viewers' mind the percep...

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Symbolic Interactionist Theory. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:50, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1682723.html