The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is the title of a 1956 seminal work by sociologist Erving Goffman. His thesis was that we humans spend an inordinate amount of time, effort, and energy on attempting to actively manage the impressions others form of us. In other words, much social interaction is a theatrical performance. Goffman divides our social life into ‘Front Stage’ where we adhere to social norms with our clothing, language, and tone (on the job, formal occasions, or in front of those with more power or social status) and ‘Back Stage’ where we are more likely to slip off our masks and step out of character (at home or with our peers, or anywhere we think we are less likely to be judged or evaluated, or where we have the greater status or power).
Performances can be collective; a married couple might present a ‘united front’ in public or as parents, much less so in private. With impression management, we present idealized versions of ourselves: more competent, confident, committed, a higher level of trustworthiness. We suppress our doubts and insecurities, smooth over inconsistencies and hide bouts of under motivation. There is an inevitable gap between our actual self and our idealized performed self; this is sustained by selective disclosure, as we do our best to control what is revealed, what is kept behind the curtain, what is emphasized and what is blurred.
Closing Quotes:
“Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth.” – Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900
“I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am; I am what I think you think I am.” – Charles Horton Cooley, 1864-1929, ‘Human Nature and the Social Order’
“The persona is a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual.” – Carl Jung, 1875-1961
“At one extreme, the performer can be taken in by his own act; he can be sincerely convinced that the impression of reality which he stages is the real reality.” – Erving Goffman, 1922-1982
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” – William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, As You Like It, Jaques, Act 2 Scene 7
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
