Thursday, January 14, 2010

1/14/10 Class Notes

I. Erving Goffman – Reconstructing Past Social Theory
a. Civil inattention – not interrupting in order for a smooth performance.
b. Symbolic Interactionism (micro-oriented) - Dramaturgy
c. Dramaturgy – self and society

II. Life resembles drama (similarity)
a. Actors
b. Performance
c. Stages
d. Audience

III. Life resembles drama (differences)
a. Script – Improvisation (Mead) I (creative) and Me (social)
b. Stage – it’s controlled

IV. Spill over effect

V. Self and Society
a. Front stage/Back stage
b. Front is where the actual performance is carried out while the back stage is where the social space prepare themselves for the performance.

VI. Outside (non-stage)
a. Example: no preparation for stage (no one around including self)

VII. “Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life” – Goffman’s Book
a. Presentation of Self – Image (everyday life)
b. Impression Management – Politics (more strategic and deliberate)

VIII. Strategies of Impression Management
a. Idealization – performing the “ideal.”
b. Mystification – this is about social distance – social distance has to be maintained in between the actor and the audience.

http://www.cynthiagilligan.com/sociology/1~14~10.doc