CRIM 2650 Study Guide - Final Guide: Marxist Feminism, Counterculture, Impression Management
Document Summary
Self-presentation: this is a term coined by erving goffman. Self-presentation is the attempt to present who we are, or who we want people to believe we are, through our words, nonverbal behaviours and actions. There are times when we want to present ourselves in certain ways to deliberately make a certain impression on other people. Dramaturgical model of social life: there is a metaphor that the theatre can be considered similar to social life. The frontstage is where one actively is presenting a particular self to others. We play a social role that follows a social script, presenting ourselves in particular ways (e. g. on a date acting differently to impress). The backstage is when one is not actively managing or creating a particular impression. This is why we become uncomfortable when people invade our backstage areas we are unprepared. Goffman believes we are always on stage, which is integral to the creation and maintenance of a social identity.
