Erving Goffman: Sociology, Life and Influences

Erving Goffman: A Sociological Overview

• Goffman, a prominent sociologist, focused on social interactions, selves, roles, norms, and institutions.
• His work explores social order and social structure, although some critics find it lacking in systematic ambition compared to other theorists.
• His contributions span studies of mental illness, deviance, social stigma, and gender patriarchy.
• Goffman was secretive about his personal life, avoiding publications of personal details, and even the recording of lectures or photographs.

Goffman's Life and Influences

• Born in Manville, Alberta, 1922.
• Parents were Jewish immigrants escaping Russian pogroms.
• Attended St. John's Technical High School, and studied chemistry at the University of Manitoba before working at the National Film Board.
• Influenced by other sociologists: Durkheim, Radcliffe-Brown, and Parsons.
• Dennis Wong encouraged him to pursue sociology.
• Began his career at the University of Toronto with C.W.M. and Birdwhistell.
• Gained a degree in 1945 and moved to the University of Chicago.
• His work, Asylums (1961) came out of his time as a visiting scientist at NIMH.
• The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959) was based on parts of his doctoral thesis.
• Developed interest in self-presentation strategies and communicative gestures.
• Experienced personal tragedy with the suicide of his wife.
• Connected human interaction with animal interaction through ethology, as elaborated in Relations in Public (1971).
• Considered Frame Analysis (his most important book) crucial.

Goffman's Intellectual Context

• Influenced by Symbolic Interactionism.
• Emphasized the social self and the concepts of 'I' and 'Me' (Mead).
• Criticized interactionist focus on situations—ignored motives.
• Influenced by Durkheim's notion that individuals focus on objects and symbols in face-to-face interaction, as seen in Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912).

Historical and Social Context

• Post-WWII US, marked by Cold War fears, economic boom, youth culture, political and social crises (civil rights, class conflict, anti-war protests).
• Rise of self-expression and freedom in music, literature, fashion, and other aspects of culture; challenged traditional authorities.

Goffman's Ambivalence and Political Stance

• Ambivalent toward politics, but focused on individual freedom against social constraints.
• His work reflects the emergence of a bourgeois welfare state in the post-war US, even though he may be considered a conservative thinker.

Goffman's Theoretical Phases

• Early phase (1950s-1960s): focused on interaction rituals and the self.
• Middle phase (1960s-1970s): analyzed strategic interactions, following a Machiavellian model.
• Late phase (1970s): focused on human thought, language, and social epistemology.

Goffman's Micro-sociological Analysis

• Emphasized face-to-face interaction.
• Introduced the term "impression management" and "face-work".
• Utilized the dramaturgical metaphor—social life as a theatrical performance with roles and masks.
• Actors are highly moral.
• Actors improve their impressions.

Early Writings

• Master's thesis, connecting socio-economic status and personality, used the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and challenged quantitative positivistic methodology.
• Status symbols can be used deceptively.

"Cooling the Mark"

• Goffman's analysis of adapting to failure/loss.

"On Face Work"

• Emphasized the moral dimension of society and the importance of "face" (positive social value).
• Importance of emotional sentiments and feelings of right/wrong.
• Individuals maintain dignity through face-work—monitoring and evaluating reactions from others.

The Presentation of Self

• Interactions are performances (through expressive conduct, appearance, body language).
• Past experiences and personal definitions affect actions.

Front and Backstage

• Front stage: intentional performances. Settings, props, personal front.
• Backstage: relaxation; stepping out of character.

Damaged and Confined Selves

• Not all modern selves are considered as fully part of society/normality.
• Asylums: total institutions containing individuals stripped of societal "supports" during entry, resulting in a "mortified" or re-evaluated self.

Stigma

• Stigma: attribute that negatively impacts social acceptance.
• Discredited (visible) or discreditable (invisible) stigmas; Passing (concealing).

Framing

• People frame situations subjectively.
• Draws insights from ongoing social streams.

Contemporary Relevance

• Applicable to online self-presentation, digital identities, social media interactions, and embarrassment.

Criticism of Goffman's Work

• Superficial treatment of sociological problems, focusing on surfaces before getting to underlying essences.
• Neglect of social stratification and power differences.
• Adaption rather than change.
• Lack of explanation for selection/rejection of presented selves.
• Insufficient account of social norms/order.
• Use of metaphors may result in weaker explanations.

Overview of sociologist Erving Goffman's work on social interactions, roles, and institutions. His studies cover mental illness, deviance, stigma, and gender. Goffman's life, influences, and career are explored.