The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Goffman

Why we picked it

We will be reading the **introduction** and **chapter 1** of Goffman's social psychology book. **The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life** (1956) by The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a foundational work in social psychology/sociology. Drawing on a theatrical metaphor, Erving Goffman argues that everyday social interaction resembles a stage performance in which individuals consciously and unconsciously manage the impressions others form of them. People perform different roles depending on their audience, presenting a carefully curated "front stage" self while reserving a more authentic or private "backstage" self for trusted settings. Goffman contends that social order depends on these performances, as individuals cooperate to sustain shared definitions of situations and avoid embarrassment or disruption. Historically, the book transformed the study of face-to-face interaction by shifting sociological attention from large institutions to the subtle rituals of everyday lif