Dramaturgical Analysis Essay

Dramaturgical Analysis and its Paradigm
Social interaction is an integral part of the human experience. “It can be defined as the process by which people act and react in relation to others”. (Macionis) The home is where social interaction begins. “Whatever patterns are introduced will be continuously modified through the exceedingly variegated and subtle interchange of subjective meanings that goes on.” (Berger and Luckmann). Erving Goffman proposed the theory of Dramaturgical analysis which presents the view of social interaction as a theatrical performance.
Firstly, the dramaturgical analysis is one which offers a very unique perspective. Another description is “All the world’s a stage, /and all the men and women merely players; /they have their exits and their entrances, /and one man in his time plays many parts,” (Shakespeare). Therefore status and role are not necessarily singular. Changes may occur due to role conflict (two different responsibilities causing tension) or role strain (difficulty in completing one role because of heavy demands). “A status is like a part in a play, and a role serves as a script, supplying dialogue and action for the characters. Goffman described each individual’s “performance” as the presentation of self” (Macionis). The

“We construct performances to idealize our intentions. That is, we try to convince others (and perhaps ourselves) that what we do reflects ideal cultural standards rather than selfish motives.” (Macionis). In other words, we put our jobs or wants on a pedestal and give it much importance to convey selflessness to others. In Belize, this can be seen when ministers campaign and say ‘we want to help change Belize’ it may not be true that they want to but the job is a prestigious one with a very nice income. Although others may see through the façade that these politician present, they may not address the