Sociology is composed of many sociological perspectives that give us better insight into people and their interactions with the world. Erving Goffman developed the idea of dramaturgy from a sociological aspect. From a micro-sociologic viewpoint, Goffman furthered his practice in face-to-face interactions and made it a pivotal element to consider in society. Dramaturgy, in a sociologic sense, can be defined as the way people live their lives on a day-to-day basis; specifically, as if they were actors, performing in a show on stage (Moffitt). He believed that our interactions with people and society defined all essences of life; however, those interactions also constructed who we are as individuals. Goffman used terms such as expressions of behavior and expressions given. In every situation, he proposed that people will use tools and body language to assert their feelings or emotions, or they will intentionally use words to communicate.
Dramaturgy is presented daily in every person's life. As humans, we are constantly being placed in various situations every day; thus, Goffman proposed that the way we react to these interactions defines who we are. Not only does his idea of dramaturgy differentiate between cognitive internal thoughts and our true interactions with others, but it explains how time, place, and the people around us affect who we are. He summarized that our inner self emerges dramatically depending upon the immediate situation we are placed in. We all possess our own personal front. A personal front contributes to our manner, appearance, and style. Along with a personal front, there are accepts of dramaturgy called backstage, where we practice for our performances, and frontstage, where we perform and act depending upon our surroundings (Kerry & Stein, 105). For instance, at our place of work, where we exercise our career, we know what is proper to say, to wear, and what we refrain from saying in respect to our setting. The element that signifies where we are and how we act is called "the front" and also sometimes called "region". These terms represent the boundaries that are placed on us and our interactions. "You might carr...
