Erving Goffman

Definition

Erving Goffman was a Canadian sociologist and writer, known for his detailed analysis of human interactions and the presentation of self in everyday life. His work focuses on how social identity is constructed through interaction with others in society.

Related terms

Impression Management: The process by which individuals attempt to control the impressions others form of them, especially in social interactions.

Face: work - The efforts people make to maintain the proper image and avoid public embarrassment or shame.

Stigma: An attribute, behavior, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way, causing an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one