Erving Goffman's dramaturgical model

In a theatrical representation, the characters interact on a specific stage with certain roles in order to represent a script. But the role play It is not something that is limited to the theatrical or the cinematographic field.

In our daily life we ​​also usually play different roles depending on the circumstances we live in, who we interact with and the expectations that are had of our performance. In this way, some theoretical perspectives consider that the human being acts in his contact with others as if he were performing a play. Specifically it is what she proposes Erving Goffman's dramaturgical model, focused on face-to-face social contact.

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In Goffman's Dramaturgical Approach

Erving Goffman's dramaturgical approach or model is a way to interpret social interaction in which the idea is proposed that all interaction is a performance or role played towards the other or possible observers. Social interactions and our social structure are nothing more than the representation of the roles that we have internalized so that they end up being part of our own identity.

In any social situation that people carry out, some type of role is being interpreted, which will change depending on the interactive contexts. The person shows a specific type of information about himself according to the situation and the intention, which will provoke different responses depending on how it is interpreted by his fellow man. As in the theater, in every interaction there are pre-established behavioral limits, a script to interpret before others.

The basic idea of ​​this model is that the human being tries to control the impression that he generates on others from the interaction in order to bring this impression closer to his ideal self. In each contact a scheme of acts is represented from which he can express his point of view with respect to reality and the interaction while trying to modify the evaluation of others.

Erving Goffman's Dramaturgical Model part of a conception of symbolic interactionism, in which the mental and the situational influence the performance of behavior and the construction of the psyche from of the construction and transmission of shared meanings referring to the symbols used in the context interactive.

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Stage

Social interaction takes place in a specific context or framework, what the author calls establishment. In other words, it is the scenario in which the interaction takes place, in which impressions are to be exchanged. It is composed of the personal façade or internalized role and the public façade or image that we show the public when representing.

In this stage the physical location and the actors and roles converge of each one to configure the scene in which the actors are going to express themselves and be interpreted.

The actors and their interaction

For there to be social interaction, one of the key components is the existence of someone to carry them out. These people, who interact, are called actors.

In an interaction, the different actors are in a situation of co-presence, that is, of mutual interaction, in which these people They represent concrete roles and exchange impressions which will be used to understand the performance and act accordingly. her. Both subjects are senders and receivers at the same timeThey are both an actor and an audience.

In addition, during the interaction impressions are transmitted both voluntarily and consciously as well as involuntarily through contextual elements that are beyond the control and intentionality of the actor. The two types of elements will be captured and interpreted by the other, acting accordingly. The knowledge of this fact allows that contextual elements are used strategically to give interpretations different from those they would have at another time or situation.

The actor must try to manage the impressions that he provokes in the audience so that he is interpreted as he intends, without falling into contradiction.

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The role or role

Roles play a fundamental role in the interaction between people, indicating the type of behaviors they are expected to carry out in a given situation. They mainly indicate what position each one should take, as well as their status or the meaning endowed by the culture to the role in question.

These roles represent a process by which an influence is established from one person to another, generating a performance by the other. Roles are a fundamental part of our relationship with our peers and can vary depending on the setting or contextual framework. In addition, they are also linked to identity or the concept of the Self.

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Identity according to the dramaturgical model

The concept of the self or self It is an element that, for Goffman's model, is the product of manipulating the impressions of others so that they develop a specific and flattering image of the individual. Identity is a construction that human beings make of themselves for others based on the roles that they carry out.

Thus, people create a general public facade for their performance. This main role that we play throughout our lives, the integration of most of the roles, is what we consider self. This assumes that people are actually offering an appearance of themselves to others, trying to bring an ideal Self closer.

The identity, the I, It is nothing more than the set of masks that we put on, what we express and project to others. We are what others interpret us from our interactions.

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Interpreting social situations: frames of meaning

Another concept in Goffman's dramaturgical model is that of marco or frame, which is understood as the scheme or perspective from which the social phenomena is understood and allows the subject to organize the knowledge and experiences of it.

These frames or frames are largely given by culture to which we belong from which we acquire ways of interpreting our social world and the symbolisms that are part of it, as well as the situations that we live in., so we can adjust our interaction with it half.

Knowing what happens in a given situation requires these frames, which will be used as elements both to understand the reality of the interaction as well as to contribute to its realization by the individual. These frames can be primary, which are used to understand natural or social events, but on some occasions they require secondary frames to give an act a purpose other than the original or consciously manipulate the perception of the other regarding a concrete action (respectively, modifications or fabrications).

Bibliographic references:

• Chihu, A. and López, A. (2000). The dramaturgical approach in Erving Goffman. UNAM, Mexico.

• Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday Anchor. New York.

• Rivas, M. & López, M. (2012). Social and organizational psychology. CEDE PIR Preparation Manual, 11. CEDE. Madrid.