Erving Goffman was born the 11th of June 1922, and died the 19th of November 1982. Erving Goffman was a Canadian-American sociologist with a thorough knowledge in human behavior, who was first to present the dramaturgical perspective, in the book he wrote in 1956 named The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Erving Goffman released several major works, such as Asylums (1961), Stigma (1963) and Interaction Ritual (1967). [1] These books were all about Erving Goffman’s studies on sociology of everyday life, and social interactions between people. A field of study that he had mastered and became tremendously appraised for. His most popular work however, were always his first, which was The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. In this book, Erving Goffman certainly succeeded in explaining how and why us humans act the way we do, in a way that people could understand and accept, because a great reputation of his work was established quickly after. In this book, Erving Goffman states that there is a front- and back stage, were we change our appearance, based on which stage we are on.
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The front stage is where the actor performs formally, trying his best to look and act a certain way for the audience, to make them observe the actor in the way he wishes them to observe him. And then there is the back stage, where no one, or only the actor’s closest friends/family, sees him. In this stage, the actor can truly be himself, without the worry of anyone observing and judging his character from his actions and appearance. [2] To truly understand what Erving Goffman’s studies mean, Lars Nicholaisen, a self-proclaimed expert in Erving Goffman’s work, has answered several questions concerning Erving Goffman’s ideals of how society affects the individual person, and how Lars Nicholaisen himself has and is being affected by his surroundings. Lars is currently studying on his second year on Odense Tekniske Gymnasium, which is the equivalent of 11th or 12th grade, or the second year of secondary school, in the United States of America. When Lars was questioned: “Do you see yourself as shaped by your surroundings?” he answered: “Most definitely, I completely agree with the studies of Erving Goffman, and believe that every human act the way they do, because of how their surroundings is or has been. I can clearly see myself becoming increasingly like my father, even though I was certain that I never would.” Lars also explained how he agrees with Erving Goffman’s statements about how there is a difference between a person’s appearance, whether if he is off stage or on stage (with people or alone). Lars himself can clearly feel a difference on his own behavior, when he is alone as opposed to when he is with other people (in school etc.). Lars said: “Surely there is a difference between how you act, whether you’re around other people or if you’re completely by yourself. I for one, behaves differently when I’m at a party of what I would normally do when I’m with close friends. A thing I have experienced when I am around strangers, is that people tend to show only the best of themselves, almost like they’re trying to sell a car.” Lars Nicholaisen was then questioned if he could see the same tendencies on social medias, and if
The front stage is where the actor performs formally, trying his best to look and act a certain way for the audience, to make them observe the actor in the way he wishes them to observe him. And then there is the back stage, where no one, or only the actor’s closest friends/family, sees him. In this stage, the actor can truly be himself, without the worry of anyone observing and judging his character from his actions and appearance. [2] To truly understand what Erving Goffman’s studies mean, Lars Nicholaisen, a self-proclaimed expert in Erving Goffman’s work, has answered several questions concerning Erving Goffman’s ideals of how society affects the individual person, and how Lars Nicholaisen himself has and is being affected by his surroundings. Lars is currently studying on his second year on Odense Tekniske Gymnasium, which is the equivalent of 11th or 12th grade, or the second year of secondary school, in the United States of America. When Lars was questioned: “Do you see yourself as shaped by your surroundings?” he answered: “Most definitely, I completely agree with the studies of Erving Goffman, and believe that every human act the way they do, because of how their surroundings is or has been. I can clearly see myself becoming increasingly like my father, even though I was certain that I never would.” Lars also explained how he agrees with Erving Goffman’s statements about how there is a difference between a person’s appearance, whether if he is off stage or on stage (with people or alone). Lars himself can clearly feel a difference on his own behavior, when he is alone as opposed to when he is with other people (in school etc.). Lars said: “Surely there is a difference between how you act, whether you’re around other people or if you’re completely by yourself. I for one, behaves differently when I’m at a party of what I would normally do when I’m with close friends. A thing I have experienced when I am around strangers, is that people tend to show only the best of themselves, almost like they’re trying to sell a car.” Lars Nicholaisen was then questioned if he could see the same tendencies on social medias, and if