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.”
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Protective Practices or 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.
o 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)
o 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.”
o Staging Cues (p. 177, 181): (“high signs”) Secret communication to transmit information
about situation among colluders to facilitate maintenance of the situation.
o 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.”
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“The Show Must Go On”
Morals: Society’s Standards
Social Distance
Space between
performer and role
Performance
To maintain working
consensus, use:
-Defensive Practices
-Tact
Region
Performer and Audience
B
F
Team (Secret Society)
Secret collusion to
maintain working
consensus
“Working
Consensus”
B
F
B
Back Region
Where facts are suppressed to
maintain working consensus
F
Impression
Decision to credit or
discredit performance
Setting
The fixed sign-equipment
in a place
Role
Setting
Front Region
“The place where the
performance is given.”
Sincere
Performer
-Does the Performer believe in his/her own act?
-Is the performer concerned about the audience?
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Cynical
Performer