“The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”

Erving Goffman

            In our society we learn in our early years that first impressions are the most important.  They are the standard by which all, or at least most, of our relationships will be based.  My mother used to give my sister and me hand-shaking lessons, and we were almost constantly coached on manners so that our first impressions would be good ones.

            This article presents and analytical look at the “performances” that we put on when we present an orchestrated interaction–knowingly or unknowingly.  Every time I enter the classroom as an instructor, I assume the role that the status requires.  I make a conscious effort to behave in a way that I have learned is expected and that will create an optimum learning environment for my students.  I am more conservative, my language changes, my dress is more professional, and my demeanor is open and friendly in a way that conveys professional interest in my students.  I assume a persona that is not my usual quiet, liberal, and laid-back self.  When I am tired or something interrupts our usual routine, my façade may slip a little and, as stated in the article, “interaction may come to an embarrassed and confused halt” as I take a moment to recover my composure(242).  My students seem to enjoy my brief moments of discomposure in the classroom when they are given glimpses into my regular personality.

            How does this study apply to our observations?  Anytime we “interact” with people, there are “performances” being played out” (15).  As an observer, one needs to be aware of why people put on these shows, the cues that they are performing, and the social ramifications of a failure in the performance.  When we go into classrooms to complete out observations, we are performing the role of the observer.  There are certain behaviors that are expected and that will get results that are desired. In previous articles we saw some examples of what can happen when a performance doesn’t fail but ends and the observer tries to shed the mantle of the official observer role and assume a role of friendship.  In “Still-Life: Representations and Silences in the Participant Observer Role” by Brenda Jo Brueggemann, we saw that she was unsuccessful at maintaining the role of friend when her role as observer ended.  There was definitely a halt to social interaction when she sent the written report of her findings to one of her subjects that she had also considered a friend.  Brueggemann was there as an observer and performed the role of an observer while trying to maintain a friendship.  The friendship role was not compatible with that of the un-objective observer, and the paper was the final evidence that she was, to an extent, acting in her relationship with her subjects.

            In class we have had discussions about whether or not to present oneself honestly as an observer in the classroom.  I think that this article addresses that issue when it discusses the ramifications of a failed performance.  Performing dishonestly, as in the example where the patient falls off of the operating table and dies, can have consequences that I think outweigh the benefits(243).  However, if what I said earlier is true, that every time I enter a classroom I am putting on a performance, then every performance is a little dishonest because it is acting to achieve certain results.