Everything about Dramaturgical Perspective totally explained
» For the theatre-related meaning of this word, see dramaturgy.Dramaturgy is a
sociological perspective stemming from
symbolic interactionism. The term was first coined by
Erving Goffman, who developed most of the related terminology and ideas in his 1959 book,
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
Kenneth Burke, whom Goffman would later acknowledge as an influence, had earlier presented his notions of
dramatism in 1945.
In dramaturgical sociology it's argued that
human actions are dependent upon time, place, and audience. In other words, to Goffman, the
self is a sense of who one is, a dramatic effect emerging from the immediate scene being presented. Goffman forms a theatrical
metaphor in defining the method in which one human being presents itself to another based on cultural values, norms, and expectations. Performances can have disruptions (actors are aware of such) but most are successful. The goal of this presentation of self is acceptance from the audience through manipulation. If the actor succeeds, the audience will view the actor as he or she wants to be viewed. This makes it an intimate form of
communication, highlighting it as a
micro-level sociological theory.
Dramaturgical perspective
Dramaturgical perspective is one of several
sociological paradigms separated from other sociological theories because it doesn't examine the cause of
human behavior but the context. In this sense, dramaturgy is a process which is determined by
consensus between individuals. Because of this dependence on consensus to define
social situations, the perspective argues that there's no concrete meaning to any interaction that couldn't be redefined. Dramaturgy emphasizes expressiveness as the main component of interactions. It is termed a "fully two-sided view of human interaction".
Dramaturgical theory suggests that a person's
identity isn't a stable and independent psychological entity; it's constantly remade as the person interacts with others.
In a dramaturgical model, social interaction is analyzed as if it were part of a theatrical performance. People are actors who must convey their personal characteristics and their intentions to others through performances. As on the stage, people in their everyday lives manage settings, clothing, words, and nonverbal actions to give a particular impression to others. This is called "impression management". Goffman makes an important distinction between "front stage" and "back stage" behavior. As the term implies, "front stage" actions are visible to the audience and are part of the performance. People engage in "back stage" behaviors when no audience is present. For example, a server in a restaurant is likely to perform one way in front of customers but might be much more casual in the kitchen. It is likely that he or she does things in the kitchen that might seem unseemly in front of customers.
Before an interaction with another, an individual typically prepares a role, or impression, that he or she wants to make on the other. These roles are subject to what is in theater termed "breaking character." Inopportune intrusions may occur, in which a backstage performance is interrupted by someone not meant to see it. In addition, there are examples of how the audience for any personal performance plays a part in determining the course it takes: how typically we ignore many performance flaws out of tact, such as if someone trips or spits as they speak.
Goffman first brought dramaturgy into the language of social psychology and sociology with his publication
The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life. The book explores a multitude of interactions whereby we in everyday life engage in performances of the self in a way similar to an actor portraying a character.
Performance
There are seven important elements Goffman identifies with respect to the performance.
Belief in the part one is playing is important, although it's nearly impossible for others to judge. The performer may be sincere or cynical, and while the audience can try to guess at the performer's real inner state of mind, they can only objectively analyze the other elements of the performance.
The front or 'the mask' is a standardized, generalizable and transferable way for the performer to control the manner in which the audience perceives him.
Dramatic realization is a portrayal of aspects of the performer that he wants the audience to know. When the performer wants to stress something, he'll carry on the dramatic realization.
In addition to this, it also has been said that dramaturgy doesn't contribute to sociology's goal of understanding the legitimacy of
society. It is claimed to be drafting on
positivism, which doesn't offer an interest in both reason and rationality;
John Welsh
called it a "commodity".
Dramaturgy applied
Research on this is best done through
fieldwork such as
participant observation.
For one, dramaturgy has been used to depict how social movements communicate power.
Robert D. Benford and Scott A. Hunt argued that "
social movements can be described as dramas in which protagonists and antagonists compete to affect audiences' interpretations of power relations in a variety of domains". The people seeking power present their front stage self in order to captivate attention. However, the back stage self is still present, though undetectable. This is a competition of power, a prime example of dramaturgy.
A useful, and everyday way of understanding dramaturgy (specifically front stage and back stage) is to think of a waiter or waitress at a restaurant. Their main avenue of concern for him or her is "customer service". Even if a customer is rude, waiters and/or waitresses are expected to be polite ("the customer is always right") as part of their job responsibilities. That same waiter or waitress speaks differently when going out to their break room. They may complain, mimic and discuss with their fellow peers how irritating and rude the customer is. In this example, the waiter/waitress acts a certain way when dealing with customers and acts a completely different way when with their fellow employees.
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