Erving Goffman's Dramaturgical Approach to Human Interaction

Erving Goffman's Dramaturgical Approach to Human Interaction Erving Goffman, one of the twentieth century's most influential sociologists, developed and supported a dramaturgically oriented approach to explaining the world of human interaction and behavior (De Boer, 1994). This approach to sociology holds promise in regards to both understanding the nature of human behavior in everyday life and also in regards to utilizing this perspective within the context of cultural and art experiences that are designed to have a positive impact on public participation in the arts. Dramaturgy refers to a sociological perspective that envisions human behavior as intrinsically interwoven with the time, place and audience for that behavior (Trask, 2007). Goffman refers to life as a "stage," and describes how the roles that people play upon this stage are assigned to them by the processes involved in the assimilation of societal norms and values. In describing these processes, Goffman uses the language of symbolic interactionism, which describes the specific features of the various factors of everyday life that are involved in this model (Goffman, 1959). Goffman is considered to be the "principal spokesperson for symbolic interactionism's dramaturgical approach" to human relationships (Reynolds, 2006, p. 95). In essence, Goffman's perspective combines the interactionism of George Herbert Mead with the "dramaturgical approach of Hugh Dalziel Duncan and Kenneth Burke" (Reynolds, 2006, p. 95). As a sociologist, Duncan was a staunch disciple of Kenneth Burke and Duncan's work largely derives from Burke's perspectives on the motivation behind human behavior (Kenny, 2008). Goffman's perspective is indebted to both of these predeces