The presentation of self in contemporary social life / by David Shulman, Lafayette College.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shulman, David, 1964- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social interaction.

Self-presentation.

Symbolic interactionism.

Physical Description:

xix, 289 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : SAGE, [2017]

Summary:

The Presentation of Self in Contemporary Social Life covers the popular theories of Erving Goffman and shows modern applications of dramaturgical analysis in a wide range of social contexts. After a general introduction to the concepts of impression management, author David Shulman's provides many examples of how Goffman's ideas can lend powerful insights into familiar arenas of social life today, including business and the workplace, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and the digital world. Key Features, The book provides an overview of Goffman's dramaturgical approach and many of its fundamental concepts: frames, stigma, definition of the situation, front and back stages, role distance, communication out of character, interaction rituals etc. Chapters focus on the application and contemporary relevance of this theoretical perspective to different areas of modern life. One entire chapter is devoted to the internet, society's "newest stage." Specific applications of dramaturgy include: How business and marketers apply theatrical techniques to appeal to and persuade consumers to buy, How digital technologies have produces new forms of interaction and communication, such as catfishing, texting, online dating, and trolling, Fantasy and role-playing activities in everyday life, Impression management in workplaces. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Self-Presentation and the Dramaturgical Perspective 1

Introduction: "Being Yourself" Is a Performance Too 2

So Why Study Dramaturgy? 7

Getting Down to Business 9

The Scholarly Provenance of Dramaturgical Ideas 11

Analyzing Dramaturgy 16

Erving Goffman and Dramaturgy 18

Goffman's Six Principles of Impression Management 19

The Self 27

Symbolic Interactionism 29

Chapter 2 Persona Watching: Catching Impression Management in Action 33

Introduction: Reverse Engineering Dramaturgy 33

Regions, Actors, Performance: Some Service Examples 38

Thinking of Performances as Cumulative: Social Order, Norms, and Rules 44

Ratcheting Up Sociological Analysis With Dramaturgy 50

Chapter 3 Sociological Influences on People's Performances 55

Introduction: Learning How to Act in Everyday Life 55

Social Structural Forces That Impact Dramaturgical Actions 61

Think of Social Forces as Interweaving Clusters 67

Realizing the Analytic Potential in the Dramaturgical Perspective 69

Nine Contributions Dramaturgical Thinking Can Make to Enhance Sociological Thinking 74

Chapter 4 Workplaces as Stages 79

Introduction: Dramaturgy in Organizations and Workplaces 79

Performance Teams: Dramaturgical Circumspection, Discipline, and Loyalty 84

Organizations and Order 86

The Dramaturgy of Meetings 88

Contemporary Takes on Dramaturgy in Organizations 89

The Interaction Order and the Negotiated Order 91

Asylums and Secondary Adjustments 96

The Dramaturgical Infrastructure 98

Total Institutions 102

Emotional Labor 105

Chapter 5 Modern Life as Show Business 111

Introduction: The Thicket of Unreality 111

Examples of Unreal Images: Illusions, Photos, and Words 115

Can You Detect Unreality? 121

Causes of Unreality: Extravagant Expectations and Pseudo-Events 125

Image Life as Performance 132

The Economics of Unreal Performances and Consumerism 140

Las Vegas Casinos as "Cathedrals of Consumption" 144

The Magic of Enchanted Products 146

Dramaturgy: The New Means of Consumption 153

Marketing and the Dramaturgical Legibility of Themes 157

Dramaturgical Inequalities: Gender, Goffman, and Advertising 161

Conclusion 166

Chapter 6 Dramaturgical Involvements in Popular Culture 167

Introduction: Dramaturgical Involvement in Popular Culture 168

LARPs: Live Action Role-Playing 170

Engrossment in Popular Culture Experiences 171

Dramaturgical Residency 176

Face-to-Face Interaction 178

Surpassing Performance Limits in Fantasy or Killing S**t in Made-Up Worlds 180

Role Distance and the Actualization Gap 184

Frames: A Social Phoropter 187

An Extended Case of Frames and Dramaturgy: The World of Professional Wrestling 190

Stigma, Horror Genre, and Frame Traps 202

Conclusion: Conflating Reality and Fantasy 209

Chapter 7 The Internet: Society's Newest Stage 215

Introduction: The Internet, Disembodiment, and Networked Audiences 216

Online Impression Management: Disembodiment and Networked Audiences 216

The Collapsing of Front and Backstage Contexts 219

Performance Online Versus Off-Line 223

Altering Performance Content 225

Deceiving Others Online and Strategic Interaction 227

Deception in Online Dating and Romance 232

Virtual Role Engulfment 234

Exploring Online Deviance 236

User-Generated Content: Everyone's a Star, Everyone's a Critic, and I'm Into Documenting My Life Onstage 237

Internet Ranting and Impression Management 242

Stigma and Cyberbullying 244

Moral Entrepreneurs 251

Filter Bubbles 254.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781483319438

1483319431

OCLC:

928615400