1) Erving Goffman argues that social life can be viewed as a theatrical performance, with people taking on different roles and presenting themselves in ways to manage impressions. 2) He proposes that individuals construct social identities and "front stages" to provide others with idealized impressions, much like actors performing for an audience. 3) Goffman views the self as composed of "self presentations" and "role performances" that are adapted to different social environments and situations, with people cooperating in teams to maintain idealized performances and identities.

1. The Presentation of Self in
Everyday Life
Erving Goffman
Almar J. Java
Presenter

2. We are all actors within the
Social World
…self is simply nothing more than “Self Presentations” and
“Role Performances.”
social life as a “Theatre”
Dramaturgy
Social interactions is like a stage, the self promotes scenery or a
series of dramatic performances.
Erving Goffman

3. "performance"
Social Interaction “The World is like a stage”
environment and audience
constructed to provide others with "impressions"
Impression Management/ Self Presentation
involves projecting an ‘idealised image’ of ourse

4. “front"
project a certain image of ourselves
Setting, appearance, & manner
"teams"
group of individuals who "co-operate" in performance
"region"
“back"
“front"
The process of
Establishing
Social Identity

6. Life is a dramatic
performance for us
We ‘perform’ for
others
We present a kind of
‘act’ to them
We perform differently in
different situations-and the
world is our stage
The Presentation of Self
in Everyday Life
“Life itself is a dramatically enacted thing”

7. In his conclusion Goffman writes;
“The general notion that we make a presentation of
ourselves to others is hardly novel; what ought
to be stressed in conclusion is the very structure
of the self can be seen in terms of how we
arrange for such performances’ (page 244).”