Erving Goffman – The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Goffman helps explain our daily projection of self by analyzing our patterns and tactics of communication manifested through both verbal and non-verbal behavioral patterns. Technology may eliminate the physical and psychological energy required for face-to-face communication. Of course, this may be quite useful. However, despite an opportunity for dodging interaction, detachment from the immediate proximity of our communicants may be increasingly exploited.

There are two forms of sign activity which individuals express while in the presence of others (Goffman). One is concerned with the expression we give, the other is that which we give off. Noted for his sociological analysis of human interaction, Erving Goffman, explains our daily projection of self by analyzing the patterns and tactics of communication manifested through verbal and non-verbal behavior. Both types of expression signify the consequence of an individual to generate detailed information with “the first involving deceit, the second feigning” (Goffman). To know ourselves, or others’ perception of us, we are forced to be aware of intentional or unintentional expressions of self, or as Goffman notes, “the expression that he gives, and the expression that he gives off”.

First, in our daily presentation of self we may use “verbal symbols or their substitutes which he uses admittedly and solely to convey the information that he and others attach to these symbols” (Goffman). This first type of symbol recognition, exhibited in the daily presentation of self, is inherent to communication. In addition, we find that when an individual appears in the presence of others, particular actions are exhibited to solicit calculated perceptions. Goffman concludes, “his actions will influence the definition of the situation which they come have”. Of course, this is not to say all actions are calculated because it is true we may be unable to recognize or simply unaware of our calculations. Furthermore, in our daily presentation of self, we signify “certain social characteristics” which define who we are while “automatically exerting a moral demand upon the others, obliging them to value and treat him (us) in the manner that persons of his (our) kind have a right to expect” (Goffman). In order to maintain our daily presentation of self, defensive and protective practices are employed to ensure our success in communicating our projected-self image.

Moreover, individuals have "many motives for trying to control the impression" received by others' (Goffman). Theses processes occur both unconsciously and consciously. The contrasted difference in interfacial presentation of self, raises questions central to my area of inquiry.