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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Paperback – June 1, 1959

by Erving Goffman (Author)

4.5 745 ratings

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Based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions, here is a notable contribution to our understanding of ourselves, using theatrical performance as a framework.

This book explores the realm of human behavior in social situations and the way that we appear to others. Each person in everyday social intercourse presents himself and his activity to others, attempts to guide and control the impressions they form of him, and employs certain techniques in order to sustain his performance, just as an actor presents a character to an audience.

Print length

259 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Anchor
Publication date

June 1, 1959
Dimensions

5.14 x 0.58 x 7.96 inches
ISBN-10

9780385094023
ISBN-13

978-0385094023
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A study of human behavior in social situations and the way we appear to others. Dr. Goffman has employed as a framework the metaphor of theatrical performance. Discussions of social techniques are based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions.

From the Inside Flap

uman behavior in social situations and the way we appear to others. Dr. Goffman has employed as a framework the metaphor of theatrical performance. Discussions of social techniques are based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0385094027
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor (June 1, 1959)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 259 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780385094023
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385094023
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 0.58 x 7.96 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #65,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #33 in Sociology of Social Theory
- #167 in Cultural Anthropology (Books)
- #385 in Interpersonal Relations (Books)

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4.5 745 ratings

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Erving Goffman

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Erving Goffman was Benjamin Franklin Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania until his death in 1982. He is recognized as one of the world's foremost social theorists and much of his work still remains in print. Among his classic books are The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life; Interaction Ritual; Stigma; Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity; and Frame Analysis. William B. Helmreich is a professor of sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and City College. He has written Against All Odds, The Enduring Community, Saving Children, and The Things They Say Behind Your Back all available from Transaction.

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MSM

Essential for understanding social organizations and social phenomenon at large and at small

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019

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I have learned so much from reading any work by Erving Goffman that it is hard to prefer any one of the works over any other. The economy and selection of words, the assembly of sentences, the incessant flow of ideas that bring the thesis home, constantly focusing attention to the multifaceted life of human being as a social being, and the phenomenological approach that he uses, based on actual field studies informed by acute observations -- all work together to make any and all of his works absolutely brilliant. Reading his books, we come to mourn that he died so early. This particular work, on the presentation of the self, is based on his dissertation field work. It embodies many of the essential concepts and threads of ideas which also flower in multiple forms, in specific and special cases, in the body of his later work, too -- in his truly amazing productive life. This is a reading well-worth it for decades to come for anyone interested in social form, impression and expression. No simple words can summarize it. His own conclusion, in this volume, provides a dense summary of the work and provides hints towards further research.

12 people found this helpful

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lester f. lomax

A reliable way to understand our behavior in everyday life and in special circumstances.

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2015

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I got a copy of this early issue to review it before recommending it as a way to gain a rudimentary understanding of acting as a way to influence the primordial wave domain in which we all exist. The reference works to that end in my writing. I felt that I was obligated to provide some reference to the idea in my contribution to parapsychology. The book, as an early reference to an aspect of a Experientialist's behavioral repertoire does provide a basic understanding of portraying parts in a script to influence other people, that can be generalized to the problem of portraying parts that can influence the wave domain to have mercy on the earth. Simply put, I needed a known reference to unconsciously acting in the service of influencing others, that along with my insider's knowledge provides some background outside of my limited area of interest. The book is perfect for that use. I feel that it is a valuable contribution to sociology, as well. There are brief reviews on the internet. Goffman's work is not without appropriate criticisms.

2 people found this helpful

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Ed

A haunting and existential read.

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2023

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After reading this book I am convinced...

-People do not exist, personas do.
-The world and life can be divided into on-stage and off-stage.
-All clothes are costumes
-All history is story
-Everywhere one stands or sits is a set and the props and decorations are a crucial part and coaxing out the correct characters for the scene.

It's a second-nature game everyone plays but few stop to read into it with a book lime this. It hides in plain sight, and it is a theatrical expectation that seems eternally married to the bedrock of conciousness.

It's very dry and abstract but if it is finished the world thereafter is forever changed.

6 people found this helpful

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S. Pactor

The Arts of Impression Management

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2004

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I'm not a student of sociology or psychology, but I can't seem to stay away from the work of Erving Goffman. This is the third book by Goffman that I've read (others: Stigma, Asylums). In this book, Goffman elucidates a "dramaturgical" theory of self, which he claims is an additional method of explaining human action.
First caveat, I've not read any books by Talcott Parsons, or Manheim, and there were several sections in this book that were heavy enough in theory to make me give up. Despite these difficult sections, Goffman's style is breezy and interesting enough to make th is book worth reading for a layman.
Roughly, Goffman sets up a model of human interaction that takes most of its metaphors from the realm of theatrical performance. Human interaction takes place between performers and audiences, interactions happen front stage or back stage. This theatrical metaphor is joined by the idea that human actors interact in teams that share similar motives and values. He joins this "team" idea to the theatrical metaphor by emphasizing the difference between performers and audiences.
After laying out his framework, Goffman then uses examples from literature, his own research, and other researchers to illustrate his point. It is in this section that his writing can seem a bit dated. For example, he repeatedly discusses how college educated women will "play dumb" for their boy friends. I'm not saying this doesn't (still) happen, but the example could use somet updating.
One of the main insights that I took away from this excellent book is that humans largely exist as social beings through their interactions with other creatures, and the idea of a person as an "individual" is, itself, largely a construct. This largely contradicts much of the books/music I imbibed as a teen and young adult (Ayn Rand, punk rock, I'm looking at you).
It also seems to me that this "dramaturgical" perspective is a thesis that has been widely adopted by the self-help movement. Perhaps I will now explore some of that (voluminous) literature. Perhaps not.
This book is not without it's more disquieting moments. One thought this book led me to is that the important thing in life is the maintaining of whatever appearance one is required to maintaining. So long as that appearance is maintained, what lies underneath (i.e. the traditional concept of self or personality) is effectively unimportant. If we are only what are interactions with others make us, then what we think/feel on the inside and don't share with others, matters not at all.
Goffman himself explains that the dramaturgical perspective is merely another aspect of a larger attempt to explain human action in terms of human INTERaction, but for me, it has great explanatory weight.

118 people found this helpful

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Kdogs

Great condition

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2023

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The book is in great condition. There is almost no wear or tear anywhere on the book. The book arrived on time period And was wrapped very well and tightly.

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R. martin

1964 this was a life-changing book for me.

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022

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Now 60 yrs after i discovered book it gave me interesting memories.

3 people found this helpful

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Ken Wood

Sociology classic

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2020

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This is a good book for sociology and it’s a classic for theory about every day life. It’s written in the old fashioned professor style that is complex and overly academic. That makes it a lot of work to read. The theory is excellent but the reading is very dry and slow.

17 people found this helpful

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Ariadne011

A Classic (Deservedly)

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015

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This is a classic that even in the glut of literary theory, social theory, cultural theory, etc., I keep coming back to. Always illuminating, and accepting of the necessary contradictions withou trying to overemphasize, problematize, or judge them. It immediately makes sense, so it would be illuminating to people new to this sort of thing, and then it keeps on making sense, which is the hard part.

22 people found this helpful

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