Explain the components of dramaturgy according to Erving Goffman. Discuss front and back stage and impression management. Use an example of classroom behavior to elaborate on each of these concepts.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary but should include information about dramaturgy, which views an individual's social life as a series of dramatic performances like performing on a stage. Using a classroom as an example, the classroom would be a site for the performance of being in the roles of "teacher" and "student." Continuing with the stage metaphor, human behavior has a "front stage" and a "back stage." The front stage is where the performance takes place. It is idealized and designed to define the situation for those who are observing it. A good student, for instance, will behave attentively and try to look like a thoughtful student, idealizing the role of what they think a good student should look like. A teacher may also work to appear within their role, by the way he or she speaks, the words he or she uses, as well as the authority and attention he or she exercises while facilitating discussion in the classroom. The back stage is where people are not performing but where they may be able to express themselves in ways that they suppress when in "front-stage" mode. After class, for instance, students may act rowdy or talk about how they were not really paying attention but were just hungover during class. If the instructor were to see the back-stage behavior that shows a lack of sincerity of the student's in-class behavior, it may become difficult to convince the professor of his or her genuineness in the class. Likewise, if an instructor is seen behaving in ways that do not match his or her "teaching" personality, such as wearing risqué clothing, being drunk, or cussing, and a student witnessed this, it might change the student's impression. It is important that there is not just one "front" stage and one "back" stage. When a student is out of class, he or she may be "back stage" as a student but "front stage" as a fraternity member, for instance. Impression management is the attempt to manage what others see and how they see you by controlling the image you project to them and whether they see front- or back-stage behavior. For instance, a teacher might engage in impression management by spending social time in locations where students are not likely to frequent.
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