The Dramaturgical Approach to Social Psychology: The Influence of Erving Goffman

Abstract

When invited to write a chapter on a work that has had a lasting impact, without a moment’s hesitation I thought of the writings of Erving Goffman, especially his first major work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959; hereinafter Presentation). Although nominally a sociologist, Goffman’s oeuvre was indifferent to disciplinary boundaries—all his perceptive analyses centered on understanding the varieties of conduct at the heart of human interaction. I begin this appreciative essay, first, with some descriptive comments about the basic theme of Presentation. Second, I review briefly a sampling of the conceptual categories in the book that have helped illuminate many dark corners of the phenomena of social interaction. Third, I incorporate some comments to support the claim that the book has had an impact on theory and method in social psychology and offer some observations on the reasons for the book’s impact. Finally, I conclude with a brief coda.